I’ve been part of the gaming world for almost 25 years, and I can honestly say it’s been a long time since I’ve felt such genuine awe and excitement as I did with No Rest for the Wicked.
Graphics and Visual Fidelity
The first thing that struck me? The graphics.It’s a true visual feast. The environmental details are stunning: from dynamic rain, to waves crashing against the shore to the wind rustling the vegetation, sunflowers, and really all kinds of flowers and plants. You can even see leaves fluttering and dust particles drifting in the wind, creating a sense of movement and life that makes the world feel real.
I play on a NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4060, 3840x2160 resolution. It’s a great GPU, and it shows: the level of detail is outstanding. The flames from the fire rune on your sword don’t just burn they undulate and blaze in an epic, visually striking way. The ice, electricity, and chain lightning effects are also beautifully executed. What really impressed me is the enemy physics enemies react realistically to magic damage, with explosions of electrified gore and scorched bodies. It’s just power.
The RTX 4060 easily handles volumetric effects, ambient occlusion, and dynamic particle systems even at 4K, maintaining stable reflections, shadows, and transparency rendering in real time. Even in scenes with heavy rain, fog, sparks, or spell spam, the frame pacing remains smooth. From what I’ve seen online, other players with similar builds also report consistent performance, especially with DLSS enabled, and excellent handling of fog effects and ambient lighting.
As for the waterfalls, I think there might be a glitch not 100% sure but they appear pixelated or dotted. I noticed that raising motion blur to 100% makes them more fluid and less jagged. It’s probably something that will get patched eventually.
Lighting and Atmosphere
The atmosphere is one of the game’s strongest features. It changes dramatically based on weather and time of day. At night, under flickering torchlight, it feels totally different than during a sunny day or in the middle of a storm. The lightning strikes create realistic reflections on the ground a great effect. That said, when viewing from the rooftop pigeon loft , I noticed the lightning doesn’t fully light up the village below. Specifically on the little balcony that gives you that scenic overlook of part of Sacrament. When lightning strikes, it properly lights up the balcony area where I’m standing, but it doesn’t illuminate the village down below, even though it’s fully visible from that vantage point.
And honestly, considering how beautifully you’ve already handled global lighting with sunsets, moonlight, and atmospheric transitions I say: if you’ve already nailed two out of three,why not go all the way? 
It would be incredible if lightning, when viewed from elevated positions, could cast flashes across the entire visible landscape in the distance. That would truly be the final atmospheric touch to bring the world to life.
Wildlife and Environmental Details
The game’s lighter, more playful side is also handled with care. You’ll find squirrels, birds, chickens, butterflies… At one point, I even saw a squirrel climb a tree and I smiled. I couldn’t help but laugh when I whacked a chicken and watched it go flying, rolling across the ground. These are small things, but they genuinely add personality and life to the game world.
Enemy AI and Combat
The combat surprised me: the enemy AI is diverse and well-designed. Some are quick and aggressive, others are tanky and strong, and some will throw axes, bombs, or arrows at you from a distance. The giant enemies wielding huge wooden clubs are intimidating, and I had a good laugh when I saw them accidentally hit their own allies or smash crates and pottery in the chaos. Everything feels reactive and dynamic.
Runes and Crafting
The rune system is kinda nice, and there’s a great variety of weapons and combat styles. If you like experimentation, there’s a lot to enjoy. Gathering resources, chopping trees, mining, cooking, and crafting potions adds a relaxing dimension to the gameplay. I also really like the way you can upgrade the city and even build your own house placing furnaces, kitchens, and other useful stations for crafting inside. It’s not just functional, it’s also personal. You can decorate your space and i really like it.
A beautiful touch: the lighting inside your house changes depending on the weather outside, with sunlight or night light filtering through the windows. These small details really add to the immersion.It’s a world that rewards slow exploration and immersion.
Fast Travel? Just Right
People complaining about the lack of instant fast travel are, in my opinion, completely missing the point. The fast travel points that exist are more than enough. This game is made to be seen. I’ve never once been bored walking back to Sacrament to redo a quest or explore more the landscapes are so beautiful that they deserve to be experienced slowly, every time you log in.
Stats and Weight System
The attribute system is very easy and intuitive. When you level up, stats are on the left, and on the right you instantly see the preview of which weapons benefit from your choices. It’s clean and easy to understand. The weight system is also nice: once you go over a certain threshold and become heavy enough, you unlock a sprint that lets you shoulder-charge enemies, allowing you to knock them off balance and stagger them. On the other hand, lighter gear gives you faster movement and better dodging capabilities.
Shoving enemies off cliffs never gets old it’s always satisfying.
One small note: the “magical” stats like Faith or Intelligence could use more depth beyond just damage scaling. Maybe it’s intentional, or maybe still in development but either way, it barely affects my overall opinion of the game.
Audio and Soundtrack
The audio is excellent: from howling wind to rainfall and ambient sounds, it’s immersive and well balanced. And then there’s the music in the Cerim ruins near the cemetery I literally stopped to listen. It’s epic, powerful, and really makes you want to dive in and wreck everything in your path. One of the best ambient themes I’ve heard in a while.
Final Thoughts
This game is promising, ambitious, and deeply engaging. With multiplayer coming in the future, this game has the potential to become really really cool.
If I could, I’d just shower this game with money. Massive thanks to the developers you’ve made me truly happy. I’ve had an amazing time with the Early Access so far.