Moonlighter was an odd little game. Released back in 2019 by 11 Bit Studios, the first game was a strange little duck hybrid of running a shop and dungeon crawling, with an interesting gameplay loop. The game was a decent experience, if a little bland. When Digital Sun announced they were making the sequel, I was excited.
Digital Sun is a pretty cool studio, and I adored their last game, Cataclismo. It was a grimdark mix of basebuilding and RTS with a dark story that I really enjoyed, and they have taken their experience to good effect with Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault. I was surprised by the long gap between the games, but I am glad to see Moonlighter 2 is finally out. Big thanks to 11 Bit Studios for the review code, by the way!
The game is out in Early Access right now, with a decent amount of content at launch and a solid framework to start with. It has had some teething troubles, but I have been enjoying myself with this one so far.
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault continues the adventure of the first game, but with some critical changes. This time, the art style is fully 3D and presented in an isometric perspective. You step into the shoes of Will, the shopkeeper-adventurer, starting anew in a strange dimension within the village of Tresna. There’s some pretty funny dialogue and interesting story beats here, with Will effectively being treated as a servant by their big orc shopkeeper boss. Things escalate into a ‘save the world’ kinda thing, which won’t win any originality prizes, but the beats are decent. So far, so good.
When not running the shop, you delve into shifting, roguelike dungeons across ever-changing dimensions in search of relics and treasure. The combat and exploration feature roguelike elements, requiring you to adapt to new dungeon layouts and foes using a variety of weapons and tactics. That loot carries into the shop mechanics during the day, in which you price items that were salvaged during the dives. Why only one random jock can do this is anyone’s guess, but it’s a good enough excuse. Money earned goes into new equipment for you and helps to rebuild the village.
More dungeon crawlers could benefit from this management system, like a shop, and Moonlighter 2 definitely feels more refined than the original. I think the combat and loot systems are much stronger than in the first, with more varied dungeons, more interesting combat, and a wider range of systems. The gameplay is fairly satisfying despite the early access build. I am a fan of the combat, and exploring the dungeons is more exciting than it was in the original. It is now more dynamic, featuring a variety of weapons and perks that add depth beyond simple attack mechanics. Roguelike-style perks, relic modifiers, and inventory management keep things fresh.
Despite the early access model and the content being incomplete, there is a fair amount of playtime here, including multiple biomes, over 120 relics to discover, various shop and dungeon perks to unlock, and customization options for your shop and town.
Moonlighter 2 does have some issues. I’ve had a lot of performance problems. Even on higher-end systems, I’ve had crashes and slowdowns, especially during combat. I also had some horrendous issues with the Steam Deck at launch, though patches have improved it slightly.
While I’m enjoying the overall story, they feel somewhat lacking, and some promised features, such as shop customization, deeper NPC interactions, and more variety in dungeons or bosses, feel a little underdeveloped right now. Early Access exists for a reason, and I am confident these things will be addressed, but it is essential to note. Overall, I’m enjoying my time with Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, and I’m excited to see where it goes.
