Back in 2018, developers Digital Sum releasedMoonlighter,a unique roguelike game where players alternated between maintaining the type of item shop you find in RPGs and heading out on Zelda-esque adventures through various dunegons to grab more loot for the store, and maybe even become a hero in the process. Digital Sum seemingly remained a bit quiet afterwards (aside from the game’s expansion) until recent years, which saw them return with more Zelda-esque action withThe Mageseekerand a genre shift into tower defense withCataclismo.Now, though, it’s time to go back to where it started, teaming up with 11 Bit Studios again for Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault, announced during today’s PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted showcase.
Turning Dungeons Into Profit
As seen in the trailer above, the biggest change to Moonlighter 2 is the shift from top-down pixel art action to a more isometric 3D style, not unlike the aforementioned Cataclismo. The other big change is that our main character Will know finds himself in a new land, Tresna, after the events of the first game. But it’s still business as usual when it comes to the main gameplay, which involves running into the titular vaults in order to gain more loot and then either using the gains to prepare Will for future runs or investing it into his store to manage in between runs.
…It looks like we may have a worthy sequel on our hands.
However, one of Will’s main goals is to also invest said gains into Tresna itself, helping the village’s development in various ways, even just by supporting local businesses. After all, the more well-off the town is, the more well-off the store’s customers will be as well. And going by the trailer, it does appear that Moonlighter 2 may have a greater emphasis on the characters in Tresna, which definitely seems intriguing. The relics Will can find and their curses also return, but it appears that strategic placement in Will’s backpack can actually lead to more profit now as well. Throw in a good chunk of customization, and it looks like we may have a worthy sequel on our hands.
So when will players get to experience the latest shopkeeping adventures of Will? Well, as it turns out, players only have to wait until this coming year for now, when Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault arrives for PC, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5. So for fans of the first game, get ready to practice those haggling skills again, because you’ll need them for this new crop of customers…
Checking the Score: Moonlighter
