First-year MIT students gain hands-on research experience in supportive peer community

First-year MIT students gain hands-on research experience in supportive peer community

During MIT’s Independent Activities Period (IAP) this January, first-year students interested in civil and environmental engineering (CEE) participated in a four-week undergraduate research opportunities program known as the mini-UROP (1.097). The six-unit subject pairs first-year students with a CEE graduate student or postdoc mentor, providing them with an inside look at the interdisciplinary research being conducted in the department. Overall, eight labs in the department opened their doors to the 2024 cohort, who were eager to take advantage of the opportunity to collaborate with current students and build a community around their interests.

“The mini-UROP presents an opportunity for first-year students to experience the diverse climate and sustainability research happening in our department,” says CEE department head and JR East Professor Ali Jadbabaie. “Fostering hands-on experiences in a collaborative, supportive educational environment is central to our mission of preparing students with the skills needed to positively shape the future of our society, systems, and planet.”

The mini-UROP also benefits the graduate students and postdocs who take on the role of mentor. Mentor support is a key component to completing a successful mini-UROP project and requires graduate students and postdocs to hone their leadership and teaching skills.

“I’m always interested in mentoring undergraduate students and to have someone help me with my project,” says postdoc and mentor Yue Hu. “Participating in this project made me excited that my research attracted undergraduates’ interest.”

Guiding students through interactive workshops

Preparation for this year’s mini-UROP began at the end of November, when participants attended the Lightning Lectures, an event that served as an opportunity for the mentors to give lightning-fast pitches on their research projects. First-year students then ranked the projects that they were interested in working on and were matched according to their preferences.

The interdisciplinary nature of the department’s research offered participants a wide range of projects to work on, from redefining autonomous vehicle deployment to mitigating the effects of drought on crops. Once each of the 11 participants were matched to a project, the mini-UROP Kick-off Lunch brought students and mentors together and ensured each group had an open line of communication.

Throughout the duration of the mini-UROP, participants attended three workshops led by Jared Berezin, the manager of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Communication Lab (CEE Comm Lab). The communication lab is a free resource to undergraduates, graduates, and postdocs in the CEE community, providing one-on-one coaching and interactive workshops. Held on Fridays during IAP, the workshops helped students contextualize their research and ensure they were able to explain the scientific concept of their work during presentations.

“Students were fortunate to have research mentors in the lab, and my goal was to provide communication mentorship outside of the lab,” says Berezin. “Our weekly workshops focused on scientific communication strategies, but perhaps more importantly I’d prompt them to talk about their projects, ask questions, and brainstorm together. They really embraced the opportunity to foster a supportive peer community, which I think is a core part of the CEE experience.”

A significant challenge students face while completing the program is condensing their research down to a clear and concise two-minute presentation. To assist with this task, the third workshop featured a presentation by CEE Comm Lab fellow Matthew Goss, providing students with a preview of how their own presentations may take shape. Students also had the option to meet with Comm Lab fellows to practice presenting and get feedback.

“The final talks were impressive, and I was proud of the students for approaching both their research and communication challenges with such curiosity and thoughtfulness,” Berezin remarks.

Reinforcing research interests

Iraira Rivera Rojas, a first-year student interested in materials science and environmental engineering, worked with Yue Hu, a postdoc in Associate Professor Benedetto Marelli’s lab. Their project used biodegradable polymers, specifically silk fibroin, to make particles that can be used to encapsulate agrochemicals, lessening their negative impact on the environment. Regenerated from silk cocoons, the silk fibroins are used as a building block to revolutionize the agriculture and food industry.

“When I saw the project description, it was a mix of both of my interests,” Rojas says. “I thought it would be a good way to try out both fields.” While she is still deciding which course she will major in, she says that participating in the mini-UROP confirmed her interest in the field.

Working with mentor Jie Yun, a graduate student in Associate Professor David Des Marais’s lab, Sheila Nguyen and Ved Ganesh used biodiversity to increase crop drought resistance. Nguyen and Ganesh studied barely, oat, wheat, and Brachypodium, and compared how these plants grow under conditions of drought stress. Currently, a separate model must be trained for each plant species and type of cell. The project aimed to develop a machine learning model that can generalize to different species of plants and cell types.

Vinn Nguyen and Diego Del Rio worked with mentor Cameron Hickert, a graduate student in Assistant Professor Cathy Wu’s Lab. Their project focused on making autonomous vehicles safer and more reliable, specifically in areas transitioning on and off highways. As self-driving cars gain popularity, reports of crashes and similar incidents demonstrate deficiencies in the current system. Nguyen and Del Rio sourced satellite imagery and applied computer vision techniques to investigate the safeness of these areas. The goal of their project was to design an infrastructure-supported approach to autonomous vehicles that allows passenger to comfortably work, play, and connect with partial autonomy.

Jordyn Goldson worked in the Terrer Lab with her mentor Kathryn Wheeler, a graduate student in Assistant Professor Cesar Terrer’s lab, on a project focused on plant senescence. As warmer temperatures lengthen plants’ growing period each year, total annual photosynthesis increases along with the amount of carbon plants remove from the atmosphere. Her project investigated if model performance differs between predicting visually assessed timing versus remotely sensed timing. The findings can help advance knowledge of the mechanisms behind forest canopy color change and the ability of forests to capture more carbon by growing longer, mitigating climate change.

Based on the success of her mini-UROP project, Mairin O’Shaughnessy, who worked in Professor Heidi Nepf’s lab with graduate student Ernie Lee, will be continuing her research on “Computer Vision for Plant Density Analysis” in the spring.

“When Heidi and Ernie, the grad student advisor for the project, proposed continuing the project in spring, I was interested in continuing to learn more and explore vision processing for counting real plants,” O’Shaughnessy says.

Jennifer Espinoza, another student who worked in the Nepf Lab, plans to continue her research with graduate student James Brice on “Characterizing Flow Conditions.”

“One of the main things I loved most about working in the lab was the passion that my mentor, James, portrayed for his work, as well as his willingness to teach me anything without complaint,” says Espinoza. “Most of all, though, I became extremely passionate about my work because it has the potential to make an impact in not only society but the natural environment. The significance of my work and the welcoming working environment have prompted me to continue researching at Nepf Lab in the spring.”

Three Lincoln Laboratory inventions named IEEE Milestones

Three Lincoln Laboratory inventions named IEEE Milestones

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) designated three historical MIT Lincoln Laboratory technologies as IEEE Milestones. The technologies are the Mode S air traffic control (ATC) radar beacon system, 193-nanometer (nm) photolithography, and the semiconductor laser. The latter recognition is shared by Lincoln Laboratory, General Electric, and IBM.

As the world’s largest technical professional organization, the IEEE’s mission is to “advance technology for the benefit of humanity.” The Milestone program commemorates innovations developed at least 25 years ago that have done just that.

All three technologies are integral to everyday life. Anyone who has flown on commercial aircraft has benefited from Mode S, the system that air traffic controllers use to track planes. The integrated circuits that power modern computing and communication devices were manufactured using 193 nm photolithography. Perhaps most ubiquitous of all is the semiconductor laser — a micrometer-sized light-emitting device that has made possible high-speed internet, among many other technologies underpinning today’s information society.

“MIT Lincoln Laboratory has been a leader in fostering innovations that were previously only considered possible in science fiction. The three IEEE Milestones presented are a testament to those accomplishments and a celebration of the diversity of ingenuity and teamwork that created these game-changing technologies,” says Karen Panetta, vice chair of IEEE Boston Section, which presented the awards to Lincoln Laboratory at a ceremony on Feb. 2.

Lincoln Laboratory holds three previous IEEE Milestones for pioneering the use of packet networks for speech communications, for developing the nation’s first air defense system, and for creating the Whirlwind high-speed digital computer in collaboration with MIT campus.

Tracking aircraft globally

The Mode S ATC radar beacon system was developed to address the challenges posed to the existing ATC beacon-radar system used in the late 1960s. Commercial air traffic was growing quickly, causing interference between beacon replies and interrogations from ATC ground radars. This interference threatened to disrupt aircraft surveillance in high-density airspace.

Under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) sponsorship, Lincoln Laboratory led the technology developments necessary to address this safety issue. The advanced communication architecture of Mode S allowed radars to select a specific aircraft to interrogate. To selectively communicate, the system design included improved aircraft transponders, each assigned a unique address code. Upgrades to radar antennas and signal processing also allowed Mode S to accurately determine airplane position with far fewer air-to-ground messages than required by prior systems. Mode S also provided a datalink capability that enabled other key safety systems, such as the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System.

Today, Mode S is a worldwide industry standard. An estimated 100,000 aircraft are equipped with Mode S transponders, and more than 900 Mode S radars are deployed across the globe. The technology is also the foundation for the FAA’s newest ATC surveillance system, which allows continuous flight tracking independent of ground radars by using aircraft-broadcast position and velocity information.

“This technology touches everybody who flies, every time they fly, for the entire duration of their flight,” says Wesley Olson, a group leader in the laboratory’s Homeland Protection and Air Traffic Control Division, where Mode S was first envisioned. “If it wasn’t for Mode S, we would have a very different air transportation system today, one that would be far less efficient and far less safe.”

Powering the microelectronics industry

The 193 nm projection photolithography technique has enabled the fabrication of every chip in every laptop, smartphone, military system, and data center for the past 20 years.

Photolithography uses light to print tiny patterns onto a silicon chip. The patterns are projected over a silicon wafer, which is coated with a chemical that changes its solubility when exposed to light. The soluble parts are etched out, leaving behind tiny structures that become the transistors and other devices on the chip. 

Shorter wavelengths of light allow for printing smaller features, enabling more densely packed chips. By the 1980s, the accepted wisdom in the industry was that 248 nm was the shortest wavelength possible for photolithography.

Despite widespread skepticism and technical obstacles, Lincoln Laboratory pioneered photolithography at the 193 nm wavelength, fabricating the world’s first microelectronic devices using the technique. The first-ever 193 nm projection system was installed at the laboratory in 1993. Soon after, the laboratory opened its doors to industrial partners to guide 193 nm semiconductor manufacturing and pave the way toward its widespread adoption. Today, it is the industry’s mainstream technique and has enabled increasingly powerful integrated circuits.

“Photolithography at 193 nm has enabled the microelectronics industry to continue its path of miniaturization as charted by Moore’s law, thus impacting every aspect of our increasingly digital lives. It is also a prime example of the impact that close collaborations between Lincoln Laboratory and industrial partners have had on society,” says Mordechai Rothschild, who was one of the key developers of the 193 nm technique and today is a principal staff member in the Advanced Technology Division.

Lighting up a world of new technologies

In fall 1962, General Electric, IBM, and Lincoln Laboratory each independently reported the first demonstrations of the semiconductor laser. In the 62 years since, it has become the most widespread laser in the world and a foundational element in a vast range of technologies: DVDs, CDs, computer mice, laser pointers, barcode scanners, medical imagers, and printers, to name a few. However, its greatest impact is arguably in communications. Every second, a semiconductor laser encodes information onto light that is transmitted through fiber-optic cables across oceans and into many homes, forming the backbone of the internet.

While lasers were invented a few years earlier in 1960, the semiconductor type was exceptional because it realized all laser elements — light generation and amplification, lenses, and mirrors — within a piece of semiconducting material no bigger than a grain of rice. When injected with electrical current, the material is extremely efficient at converting the electrical energy to light. These attributes attracted the imagination of scientists and engineers worldwide.

“I’m pretty sure that we wouldn’t be streaming movies to our homes or searching for the best restaurants from our phones without the low cost and manufacturability of semiconductor lasers,” says Paul Juodawlkis, an expert in photonic devices and integrated circuits, and leader of the laboratory’s Quantum Information and Integrated Nanosystems Group. “It’s great to know that Lincoln Laboratory has played an important role in advancing this technology for government and commercial applications for the past 60-plus years and is poised to continue doing so in the future.”

Honoring inventors and their legacy

The 2024 IEEE President-elect Kathleen Kramer presented the three awards to Lincoln Laboratory Director Eric Evans during the dedication ceremony. The ceremony was held in the auditorium at Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts. Evans was joined on stage by inventors or their descendants to receive each plaque. Many Lincoln Laboratory staff and retirees who contributed to these innovations were also in attendance.

Vincent Orlando, who devoted his 50-year career at the laboratory to developing Mode S technology, joined Evans to accept that award. Mordechai Rothschild and David Shaver unveiled the 193 nm photolithography plaque. Both were lead developers of that technology.

For some, the ceremony was a touching celebration of their parent’s legacy, and a return to fond memories. Richard Rediker, a son of semiconductor laser inventor Robert Rediker, recalled playing in a lab as a child with his father more than 60 years ago, the last time he visited Lincoln Laboratory. He accepted the semiconductor plaque alongside Susan Zeiger and Robert Lax, children of co-inventors Herbert Zeiger and Benjamin Lax respectively.

“It was so rewarding to meet the other children of my father’s colleagues and to fully appreciate what the inventions of our fathers mean to society today. Although my father passed away five years ago, this ceremony brought him back to life for an afternoon,” says Rediker, adding that it was an experience he will never forget.

Likewise, these technologies have left an indelible mark on the world.

“By celebrating the pride and prestige of our profession’s contributions to history, we demonstrate how engineers, scientists, and technologists have contributed not only to our local communities, but also to our global community,” Kramer said, before presenting the plaques. “It is my pleasure to recognize these pioneering events and people behind them. They serve as landmarks in the progress of technology and civilization.”

Cyber threat prevention ahead of U.S. elections – CyberTalk

Cyber threat prevention ahead of U.S. elections – CyberTalk

Mark Ostrowski is Head of Engineering, U.S. East, for Check Point, a global cyber security company. With over 20 years of experience in IT security, he has helped design and support some of the largest security environments in the country. Mark actively contributes to national and local media, discussing cyber security and its effects in business and at home. He also provides thought leadership for the IT security industry.

In the U.S., election season is underway. In this exclusive interview, Check Point’s Head of Engineering, U.S. East, Mark Ostrowski, discusses disruption, misinformation and more. Explore the challenges. Stand prepared for a season like never before. Don’t miss this!

What kinds of cyber-related election threats are you seeing? What are you seeing in relation to voter data and attempts to steal it, if anything?

A few thoughts as we approach November. Not hearing too much real time chatter on active threats or activity. However, the there has been no slowdown or shortage of ongoing attacks that have been accumulating user credentials and identity information. Only the future will show whether this data will be used in mass during the election cycle.

What to expect as we approach the election? Disruption with DDoS and misinformation on internet based platforms (social media). With the AI evolution, we can also expect more sophisticated campaigns.

What attack surfaces should local governments and state governments strive to protect ahead of the upcoming elections?

State and local governments need to protect all attack surfaces, as any weakness will be exploited to create disruption. These entities should now be exploring what ‘normal’ is and begin to model traffic to identify any anomalies as the election cycle carries on.

How can government agencies work to ensure the security of the election supply chain?

Supply chain security is more critical than ever and all levels of government need to understand from where their vendors’ and partners’ source code, equipment and updates to software derive. Ensuring protection from code to runtime is critical during times of heightened security concerns, as again, any known vulnerability will be exploited.

What measures are government agencies putting in place to protect the integrity of voter registration databases? Or what kinds of software should they have in-place?

Protecting the integrity of voter registration data is a 365 7×24 job and not something that should be overlooked at any time. Wherever there is identity or user data, all layers of preventative security should be in place; network, endpoint, threat hunting activities, ransomware protection, mobile, email security etc… all of these vectors should be secured if the user or application has access to the registration information.

In the event of a cyber attack on an election day, what kinds of contingency plans should local and state governments have in-place to ensure that voting can proceed?

All organizations should have table topped real life scenarios that invoke contingency plans in case there is an active attack on election day. These exercises should include vendors and partners and open lines of communication, accounting for scenarios both as election day approaches and in the days after. These scenarios should not be limited to cyber security alone; they should also include physical security scenarios.

Lastly, subscribe to the CyberTalk.org newsletter for timely insights, cutting-edge analyses and more, delivered straight to your inbox each week.

Game Informer’s Top Scoring Reviews Of 2024

Game Informer’s Top Scoring Reviews Of 2024

Introduction

Each year, the Game Informer staff reviews a ton of games, but only a select few earn the highest scores. While you can find our full list of reviews here, we know that some people are just looking for the best of the best, so we’ve gathered our top-scoring reviews of 2024 right here. Whether you’re talking hotly anticipated blockbusters like Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth or surprise hits like Helldivers 2 and Balatro, we have you covered with all the must-play games we’ve reviewed in 2024. 

Be sure to bookmark this page and check back frequently, as we’ll continue updating this page as more titles earn review scores on the top end of our review scale!

9.5

9

8.75

8.5

For more of our top reviews from recent years, head to the links below.

YoloBox Ultra Workflow for Funerals and Weddings – Videoguys

YoloBox Ultra Workflow for Funerals and Weddings – Videoguys

Discover the ultimate guide to utilizing the YoloLiv YoloBox Ultra for funeral and wedding filming, as showcased by Danny Dodge. With adept strategies and practical insights, Danny demonstrates how to maximize the potential of the YoloBox Ultra for capturing poignant moments in emotionally charged environments. From strategic camera placements to optimized lighting and audio setups, Danny’s expertise ensures seamless and professional video production, whether in the solemn setting of a funeral or the jubilant atmosphere of a wedding. His innovative approach not only showcases the versatility of the YoloBox Ultra but also offers invaluable guidance for videographers aiming to elevate their craft with empathy and precision.

The YoloBox Ultra is an advanced all-in-one streaming solution that seamlessly combines the features of the YoloBox Pro and Instream into a single, portable device. It boasts impressive versatility, offering four HDMI inputs, three USB inputs, and three simultaneous live IP sources. You can include media assets like video clips, PDFs, and images. The YoloBox Ultra enables you to stream to up to six destinations simultaneously, including popular platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitch. With mission-critical cellular bonding, it ensures reliable streaming even in challenging network conditions. The device utilizes High-Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) for excellent video quality while reducing bandwidth. Its powerful CPU upgrade provides enhanced performance, and the bright 8-inch display ensures clear visibility. Whether you’re a content creator, live streamer, or professional, the YoloBox Ultra empowers you to elevate your broadcasts and engage your audience effectively.

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HBO’s The Last Of Us Season 2 Has Found Its Manny, Mel, Nora, And Owen

HBO’s The Last Of Us Season 2 Has Found Its Manny, Mel, Nora, And Owen

HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2 has found its Manny, Mel, Nora, and Owen, all key characters in the story that unfolds in The Last of Us Part II. Announced today, Danny Ramirez (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Top Gun: Maverick) will play Manny, Ariela Barer (Runaways) as Mel, Tati Gabrielle (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) as Nora, and Spencer Lord (Riverdale) as Owen. 

These four actors will join Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, who are returning as Ellie and Joel respectively, alongside new additions like Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, and Young Mazino as Jesse. 

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HBO describes Manny as “a loyal soldier whose sunny outlook belies the pain of old wounds and a fear that he will fail his friends when they need him most,” and Mel as “a young doctor whose commitment to having lives is challenged by the realities of war and tribalism,” according to a Variety report. 

The streaming service describes Nora as “a military medic struggling to come to terms with the sins of her past,” and Owen as “a gentle soul trapped in a warrior’s body, condemned to fight an enemy he refuses to hate.” 

We won’t spoil these characters’ roles in The Last of Us Part II, which is likely to match their roles in HBO’s The Last of Us Season 2, but if you know you know. 

Fans of Naughty Dog’s Last of Us series on PlayStation eagerly await the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us. The first season debuted in January of last year, covering the events of the first game and its Left Behind DLC. HBO quickly confirmed the show would be getting a second season, which is set to premiere next year.

We loved the first season and can’t wait to see how it adapts The Last of Us Part II, which got the remaster in January. It seems we aren’t alone either – The Last of Us’ premiere was HBO’s second-largest debut since 2010, and viewers stuck around for the entire season. 

The first season of The Last of Us has already won eight Emmy awards. For more, read Game Informer’s review of The Last of Us and then read Game Informer’s review of The Last of Us Part II. 

What do you think of these casting choices? Let us know in the comments below!

Cover Reveal – No Rest For The Wicked

Moon Studios cemented itself as a premier upstart studio thanks to its stellar work on Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps. The team is parlaying that success and experience to craft a dramatically different project it’s been dreaming about for years: No Rest for the Wicked. This dark fantasy action RPG combines influences from a variety of genres, from ARPGs like Diablo to the difficulty and thoughtful combat of Dark Souls, to the town-building of Animal Crossing, and more.

We traveled to Vienna, Austria, to visit the home (and Moon’s de facto headquarters) of co-founder Thomas Mahler. Joined by Moon’s other co-founder and CEO, Gennadiy Korol, we went hands-on with No Rest for the Wicked and filled 12 pages with our impressions and exclusive details about the game’s town-building and social features, endgame content, and early access roadmap. We also picked the brains of the two figureheads to learn how the project game to be, what to expect, as well as background on Moon’s history. 

Here’s a closer look at this month’s cover. 

Cover Reveal – No Rest For The Wicked

Issue 364 also includes other great features, such as an eight-page deep-dive on the video game history of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, so we have a retrospective of the role-playing game’s colossal influence on the game industry as told by developers. With the well-received launch of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, we caught up with Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio head Masayoshi Yokoyama to discuss the game’s themes, the growing international success of the Like a Dragon franchise, and what comes next. The issue also includes previews for upcoming titles like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Silent Hill 2, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and more. 

You can also try to nab a Game Informer Gold version of the issue. Limited to a numbered print run per issue, this premium version of Game Informer isn’t available for sale. To learn about places where you might be able to get a copy, check out our official Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, BlueSky, and Threads accounts and stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks. Click here to read more about Game Informer Gold.

Print subscribers can expect their issues to arrive in the coming weeks. The digital edition launches on March 5 for PC/Mac, iOS, and Google Play. Print copies will be available for purchase in the coming weeks at GameStop.

No Rest for the Wicked Preview – Fantastically Familiar In A Faraway Land – Game Informer

Last month, I traveled to Vienna, Austria, with Game Informer editor Marcus Stewart to visit Ori series developer Moon Studios. It was here that Marcus spoke to Mahler and his fellow Moon co-founder and technical director Gennadiy Korol about No Rest For The Wicked, the action RPG adorning Issue 365 of Game Informer magazine, as you might have just learned if you watched Wicked Inside today. 

I watched Marcus play the game for a couple of hours, and while I was there to film for cover story purposes, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t watch with some jealousy. No Rest For The Wicked caught my attention during its debut at The Game Awards 2023 in December, and seeing actual gameplay up close was exciting. It looked great, and judging by Marcus’s smile, it felt great, too. 

Though I had to wait a few weeks, I’m happy to say I have finally played No Rest For The Wicked, and as I expected, I love it. And I’m saying that after just a roughly 80-minute preview build that’s apparently just a taste of what’s to come in the full Early Access launch next month. 

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After creating my character, I’m introduced to this medieval world with a cutscene that feels ripped out of a great Game of Thrones episode. The king has died, and his close confidant is clearly worried about the future of the kingdom now that the dead king’s son has taken his place; that worry seems justified given the son-now-king immediately calls for a churchly inquisition to a faraway land that’s rumored sick with a plague. Hard cut to Wesley, my created character with his caricatured limbs that look like a gothic painting that’s begun to melt, who has arrived in said faraway land after a shipwreck. With nothing to work with, I start smashing crates and crabs in search of gear, like a sharp weapon and some armor. 

No Rest for the Wicked Preview – Fantastically Familiar In A Faraway Land – Game Informer

Immediately, I’m struck by the painterly art style. It’s clear the team behind Ori and the Blind Forest/Will of the Wisps is the developer, even if the visual technique is different. If the Ori series uses its visuals to paint a whimsical fantasy forest, No Rest For The Wicked uses its visuals to paint a miserable fantasy to exist in. Knowing this game is inspired by the isometric ARPG likes of Blizzard’s Diablo series and From Software’s Dark Souls games, I see the vision. 

That vision is even more apparent when I find a pair of daggers and some armor, giving me the confidence to move through this land like a fighter on the up. While the field of view might have you thinking it feels like Diablo, it’s much more in line with the challenge and pace of Dark Souls (Editor’s Note: look, I know it’s a tired comparison, but the game’s leads literally told us From’s games inspired this one).

I time parries to open enemies up to big hits, slash until my stamina runs out, dodge-roll out of attacks I’m not prepared to parry, and spend upwards of 60 seconds on standard mob opponents. It feels fantastic, and that feeling holds up when I pick up a large sword and shield, taking my build from a “normal” one with standard speed to a “heavy” one with slower speed and, of course, the fat roll. I find parrying with the shield much easier. Plus, I can perform standard blocks, which drain stamina but prevent huge hits of damage, something using the dual daggers doesn’t allow me to do – it’s parry or nothing. 

Switching between these two builds, each with its own unique attack style, is as simple as pressing left or right on the d-pad. Up allows me to eat something like mushroom soup to restore health, while pressing down consumes a potion to regain poise, stamina, or focus, used for special controller-bumper attacks that saved me more than once. Just as I get confident taking on single enemies without worry, No Rest For The Wicked hits me with a group of three bullying the person I later learn is a blacksmith. Defeating all three takes me a few minutes and a couple of mushroom soups, but the payoff is worth it: a blacksmith to sell items to, repair damaged equipment, and purchase new armor and weapons. 

I have plenty to sell because moving through No Rest For The Wicked’s spherical world is a feast for exploration. There might be a chest atop that castle ridge, an item under that sewer tunnel, something atop that fort reachable by climbing vines strewn across its side – the game invites detours from the main path often, and the reward is often worth it. It’s also where I learn Moon uses extra-difficult enemies to gate players off from its expansive world. An axe-wielding foe guards one chest I find after climbing multiple ladders up a fort. His health bar barely moves after a few hits, so I leave and decide that fight is for another day. 

My hour or so of exploration and combat practice culminates in the game’s first boss fight: Warrick the Torn. It’s clear Warrick was once a man, but as some locals nearby who let me cook some soup at their bonfire explain, he’s more creature than anything else now. As I creep up toward his area, the ground shakes (and the screen, too) as a terrifying roar spreads through the trees, bristling in the wind. Moon is telling me a boss is coming. 

no rest for the wicked gameplay images screenshots preview hands-on early access build

When I step into Warrick’s arena, a quick cutscene reveals his monstrous size. Seconds later, a sword twice my length slashes through me, and my health bar is halved, just like that. Though I get in a few hits, I use this first bout to size Warrick up and determine his attack pattern. He slashes in wide, almost unavoidable swaths, lunges across the arena with his sword in front, and body slams the ground beneath him, but not before jumping up and doing that devilishly evil mid-air pause I know well from my hours with From’s games. That delayed descent is my cause of death, as I don’t take it into account when attempting to dodge-roll out of the way. 

Revived at a nearby Cerim Whisper, a blue spin on the Dark Souls bonfire, I return to Warrick once more. This time, I get his health down to a sliver, and he does the same to me – he wins. Third time’s the charm, right? By my third attempt, I have his attacks memorized enough to safely dodge out of the way and counter with quick dual dagger attacks before switching to my sword/shield combo to parry his next wave of hits. A perfect parry leaves Warrick open for multiple hits, and after a few successful blocks, I take him down.

My time ends with a cutscene revealing my journey in this foreign land has only just begun. I know what’s next – I watched Marcus experience it in Mahler’s makeshift Moon headquarters – but this preview build ends here. Fortunately for you, Game Informer has plenty of exclusive details about what’s next in No Rest For The Wicked, and with our digital magazine launch on March 5 (with physical issues arriving in the coming weeks), you don’t have to wait too long to find out.