Played during the Backloggd’s Game of the Week (10th Oct. – 16th Oct., 2023).
Evoking the quirky spirit of LucasArts' point-and-click titles, No Rest for the Wicked is an intelligent adventure that strikes a subtle balance between inspiration, reference and its own identity. The plot and structure borrow directly from the first act of The Secret of Monkey Island (1990), reusing timed puzzles or reinterpreting the iconic verbal jousts through three different objectives. The initial puzzle is very similar to the one behind the tavern at the very start of the game, while the bookcase is a rather ingenious reinvention of the sword duels. The dialogue and the introductory cutscene are written with the same light-hearted, gently sarcastic glibness that characterised the Monkey Island series, with a protagonist forced into bizarre situations against their will. Similarly, the title takes the liberty of constantly breaking the fourth wall or mentioning elements that the characters are not supposed to know about, including fairly direct references such as Metallica's 'Master of Puppets' (1986).
Rather than taking sterile inspiration from a design that is sometimes more obtuse than it needs to be, No Rest for the Wicked manages to keep its puzzles in confined spaces, while making it easy to experiment with the objects. No pixel-hunting is required, as the cursor adapts contextually to the correct action. Although some may feel that the solutions are sometimes too explicitly given to the player, No Rest for the Wicked is more about creating an atmosphere than just mimicking old games. In a way, the title is emblematic of a recent trend in point-and-click games, which contrasts with the heaviness of titles by Wadjet Eye Games, Faravid Interactive and, more generally, games that border on detective stories - which are longer and coloured by a slightly pessimistic or melancholy view of the world. On the contrary, No Rest for the Wicked is a defence of shorter titles, infused with intelligent, respectful wit.
Evoking the quirky spirit of LucasArts' point-and-click titles, No Rest for the Wicked is an intelligent adventure that strikes a subtle balance between inspiration, reference and its own identity. The plot and structure borrow directly from the first act of The Secret of Monkey Island (1990), reusing timed puzzles or reinterpreting the iconic verbal jousts through three different objectives. The initial puzzle is very similar to the one behind the tavern at the very start of the game, while the bookcase is a rather ingenious reinvention of the sword duels. The dialogue and the introductory cutscene are written with the same light-hearted, gently sarcastic glibness that characterised the Monkey Island series, with a protagonist forced into bizarre situations against their will. Similarly, the title takes the liberty of constantly breaking the fourth wall or mentioning elements that the characters are not supposed to know about, including fairly direct references such as Metallica's 'Master of Puppets' (1986).
Rather than taking sterile inspiration from a design that is sometimes more obtuse than it needs to be, No Rest for the Wicked manages to keep its puzzles in confined spaces, while making it easy to experiment with the objects. No pixel-hunting is required, as the cursor adapts contextually to the correct action. Although some may feel that the solutions are sometimes too explicitly given to the player, No Rest for the Wicked is more about creating an atmosphere than just mimicking old games. In a way, the title is emblematic of a recent trend in point-and-click games, which contrasts with the heaviness of titles by Wadjet Eye Games, Faravid Interactive and, more generally, games that border on detective stories - which are longer and coloured by a slightly pessimistic or melancholy view of the world. On the contrary, No Rest for the Wicked is a defence of shorter titles, infused with intelligent, respectful wit.