From the creators of Ori, a heartfelt plea to players: please don’t kill the game we’re trying to grow.
Moon Studios, the acclaimed indie team behind Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps, is facing a difficult new chapter with its latest game, No Rest for the Wicked. After a bumpy launch and mixed player feedback, the studio’s founder, Thomas Mahler, took to Discord to issue a stark warning: review bombing might be putting the entire studio at risk.
“It’s entirely possible that we won’t be around in a couple of months…” – Thomas Mahler, via Discord
The Breach Patch: A Turning Point, for Better and Worse
The drama surrounding No Rest for the Wicked didn’t come out of nowhere. On April 30th, Moon Studios released its first major update: Patch 1 — “The Breach”, which was meant to address a wave of player feedback, tweak balancing, and introduce quality-of-life changes.
Instead? It made a lot of people mad.
Initial reactions were overwhelmingly negative. Players criticized the update for breaking certain builds, introducing more bugs than it squashed, and overall making the early access title feel even more unfinished. The response on Steam forums and Reddit was swift and brutal — and a significant contributor to the game’s “Mixed” rating at the time.
“I wish I could recommend this game, but you’d just be crowdfunding another half-completed early access game that doesn’t give updates.” – Sad Hippo via Steam review
But here’s where things get interesting: since that rocky patch, Moon Studios has dropped multiple hotfixes—often within days of each other—based on direct player feedback. Performance has improved. Balance has been adjusted. And little by little, No Rest for the Wicked is starting to feel more playable… and more promising.
“And we’re not done yet, we’re already hard at work on a bigger patch that will add more features to No Rest for the Wicked!” – Moon Studios, Via steam patch notes
The Situation: Review Bomb or Real Feedback?
As of May 11, No Rest for the Wicked was listed as “Mixed” on Steam based on recent reviews. That’s since improved slightly, with the game now back up to “Mostly Positive” for recent feedback. Across all reviews, it has maintained a “Mostly Positive” rating from over 34,000 users—a promising sign, but not one that erases the pressure on the devs.
In his post, Mahler voiced frustration over the power of reviews to influence buying decisions, stating that without positive feedback and continued purchases, Moon Studios could be forced to shut down entirely.
“If you’re enjoying Wicked… but haven’t left a positive review, it’s entirely possible that we won’t be around… because we got review bombed which leads to people not buying the game.” – Thomas Mahler, via Discord
A Complicated Conversation About Criticism
Here’s the thing: not all the negative reviews are trolls or bad-faith actors. Some of the criticism is well thought-out and valid. One reviewer wrote:
“While I love the art style, the story, and, to a degree, the combat, the rest feels half-baked, obtuse, and unnecessarily punitive…” – Revelst0ke, via Steam review
In fact, most of the backlash seems to be constructive—even if it’s tough to hear. From performance issues to unclear systems, players are pointing out areas where No Rest for the Wicked still needs refinement. So is this a classic case of review bombing? Or just the natural consequence of launching an ambitious early access title that’s not fully cooked?
The Tightrope Between Feedback and Fallout
Mahler’s comments have sparked debate in the gaming community. While the emotional appeal is understandable (who wants to see a talented indie studio close its doors?), asking players to “hold back” legitimate criticism—or risk killing a studio—puts fans in an uncomfortable position.
There’s a fine line between supporting a studio and giving honest feedback. Review systems exist for a reason, and when used fairly, they can help devs improve and hold publishers accountable. On the other hand, bombarding a game with negativity based on early access imperfections can snowball into something that’s impossible to recover from.
A Personal Note: Please Don’t Let This Be the End
As someone who just bought two copies of No Rest for the Wicked and is eagerly awaiting the co-op update, I’m rooting hard for this game to succeed. The DNA of Moon Studios—gorgeous art direction, atmospheric sound design, and emotionally resonant storytelling—is still in there. But it needs time, updates, and, yeah… a little patience.
Studios like this don’t come around often. And while reviews should always be honest, maybe we can also take a breath and give this game a chance to grow into the experience we all know Moon Studios can deliver.
