Animal Crossing Fans Shouldn't Sleep on This Isometric Soulslike Game

I’ve been spending a lot of time in No Rest for the Wicked lately, as recently playing alongside the devs in celebration of its co-op “Together” update piqued my interest in it. Its combat requires plenty of thought, and its story is engaging and easy to follow as far as Soulslikes go, making it easy to sink dozens of hours into, even while it’s still in Steam Early Access. However, the bulk of my time has been spent on its Animal Crossing-like game within a game, which essentially puts a lot of what that franchise does best within the framework of an isometric Soulslike.

If you’ve never played No Rest for the Wicked or don’t know much about it, I was just as surprised as you probably are right now when I found out this notably demanding game has a cozy side to it that fans of Animal Crossing (like me) could enjoy. Perhaps you’re thinking you’d prefer to stay away from this one because you’re not good at Soulslike games, or maybe you’re burnt out on the genre because of how saturated it is and continues to become. I’ll tell you right now, though, that No Rest for the Wicked defies Soulslike genre conventions enough that even those who aren’t skilled at its gameplay can still access and enjoy its cozy side without too much of a headache. In fact, I’d argue that if you wanted to play it purely for its Animal Crossing-like gameplay, you very well could.

No Rest for the Wicked Takes Animal Crossing to the Dark World of Isola Sacra

Cozy gameplay loops found in games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing have become more popular in recent years, to the point that developers of non-cozy games are finding unique ways to incorporate them. No Rest for the Wicked is one of the latest to do so, using what the devs label a “game within a game” as a way for players to actively participate in the establishment of a foothold for civilization on the island of Isola Sacra. This settlement, called “Sacrament,” is central to No Rest for the Wicked‘s Animal Crossing-like gameplay loop, as players gather the resources necessary to rebuild it, witness its population grow, and transform it into a home of their own.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

No Rest for the Wicked’s Animal Crossing-Like Features

SETTLEMENT RESTORATION — Contribute resources to restore the city of Sacrament and unlock merchant upgrades and new activities.
PLAYER HOUSING — Buy and decorate your own house where you can store loot and craft items.
CRAFTING AND FURNITURE — Use gathered resources to craft gear and furniture for your home.
FISHING AND FARMING — Participate in fishing and farming activities when not advancing the main story.
RESOURCE GATHERING — Explore the world to collect materials that feed into building projects and home improvements.

At the heart of No Rest for the Wicked‘s cozy side is the gradual restoration of Sacrament, which requires players doing plenty of resource gathering on the side in the same way they would in an Animal Crossing game. Players can chop down trees for wood, mine mineral veins for ore, and even use a shovel in dig spots to retrieve other resources. Then, upon contributing those resources to various building projects via an NPC named Danos, various structures around Sacrament will be restored, improved, or built from the ground up. Sure, it might not have the cute, vibrant color palette and art design of Animal Crossing, but the gameplay is just as fulfilling, especially as the settlement grows over time to feel more like a lived-in city than a bunch of ruins where people are simply trying to survive.

Sacrament isn’t just an NPC dwelling either, as players can buy their own customizable home within the settlement from a handful of unique and affordable options. Each home in No Rest for the Wicked features a different layout, with the more expensive choices offering more living space. They can also be furnished with items like crafting stations, storage boxes, beds, and various decorations that can all be crafted or purchased. There are quite a few games that feature player housing to some extent, but few of them beyond games like Animal Crossing incorporate it alongside real-time settlement building mechanics in the way No Rest for the Wicked does—especially ARPGs and Soulslikes.

The cozy comparisons don’t stop there, however, as No Rest for the Wicked also features extracurricular activities for players to participate in when they want a break from its intense combat and foreboding open world. For example, fishing is not only a great way to pass the time in the game, but it can also grant players food items that can then be cooked to produce meals with benefits like health regeneration. The fishing mini-game itself is identical to every other resource-gathering mini-game in No Rest for the Wicked, but it’s nonetheless relaxing. During my recent interview with Moon Studios, the developer also confirmed that farming will eventually be coming to No Rest for the Wicked, though they didn’t give me a date.

No Rest for the Wicked’s Accessibility Makes It Easy to Play as a Cozy Game

Of course, none of this will matter to anyone who is interested in its cozy side but also isn’t skilled at Soulslike gameplay or is simply burnt out on the genre. However, No Rest for the Wicked makes it easier for that crowd to get into the game by making the whole experience more approachable. It still requires effort, and much more than a cozy game like Stardew Valley might, but it can be adjusted to be less difficult than the standard Soulslike.

How No Rest for the Wicked Makes Its Soulslike Gameplay More Approachable

DIFFICULTY SETTINGS let you adjust how hard enemies hit and how much health they have.
SOFT DEATH PENALTY keeps enemies you’ve already killed dead when you respawn, reducing repeated combat frustration.
ISOMETRIC PERSPECTIVE gives clearer views of incoming threats compared with tight third-person camera angles.

The main way No Rest for the Wicked makes itself more approachable is in providing players with difficulty options when they’re creating a new Realm in the game. The difficulty options, referred to as “paths,” change the health and damage output of enemies, with Path of the Chosen functioning as the game’s balanced “Normal” difficulty, Path of the Torn (Easy) reducing enemy HP by 20% and enemy damage by 50%, and Path of the Unspoken (Hard) increases enemy HP by 20% and enemy damage by 35%, while also making enemies harder to interrupt. As such, should players be interested in giving No Rest for the Wicked‘s settlement-building gameplay a try but they don’t want to subject themselves to torment, they can choose Path of the Torn, making the experience much easier to handle.

The catch is that the difficulty can’t be adjusted once a Realm is created, but since No Rest for the Wicked allows players to use the same character between Realms, they could essentially have one Realm dedicated to cozy gameplay if they wanted to.

No Rest for the Wicked also has a soft death penalty, where dying causes equipment durability to deteriorate—and that’s it. After dying and respawning, enemies stay dead for quite a while, and players don’t need to worry about dropping any progression currency like they would in a FromSoftware game. The only thing they’ll really need to worry about is keeping their gear repaired and saving often by channeling at Whispers, just to ensure they don’t respawn across the map somewhere. And finally, No Rest for the Wicked‘s isometric perspective gives players a greater view of the battlefield, which in and of itself gives them an advantage over enemies.

At a glance, No Rest for the Wicked looks like it belongs strictly to the punishing corner of the ARPG space, but the longer you spend in Sacrament, the harder it is to ignore one of its best systems. Beneath the plague-ridden streets and brutal boss fights is a steady, satisfying loop of gathering, rebuilding, decorating, and watching a broken settlement slowly come back to life. For players who love checking in on shops, upgrading a town square, or rearranging furniture after a long day, that rhythm is very real here. It may trade bright colors for somber stone and a gloomy atmosphere, but the fulfillment is the same. If you’ve ever lost hours to tending an island or perfecting a home layout in a game like Animal Crossing, there’s a strong chance you’ll find something surprisingly familiar in No Rest for the Wicked.