Moonlighter is an Action RPG simulation video game developed by Digital Sun and released in May 2018 by 11 bit studios. The game tells the story of a shop owner who made his living by trading items and artifacts with heroes fighting in the dungeon nearby. Unfortunately, the dungeon proved to be too dangerous and was closed to prevent reckless adventurers from risking their lives, forcing the shopkeeper to go inside by himself in hopes of finding more treasures and unlocking the mysterious fifth door. StoryThe game features a story, but it's not a complex one. It revolves around the shop called Moonlighter, and its young owner, Will.
A long time ago ruins full of dangerous creatures and valuable items appeared in the middle of nowhere, attracting both merchants and heroes - heroes were retrieving artifacts and were coming to merchants to sell them. Soon enough a town called Rynoka was founded. But ruins proved to be too dangerous to allow reckless adventurers to risk their lives and it was decided to close it, making the life of merchants much harder. With heroes gone, the last in line of Moonlighter shopkeepers has to go inside and look for artifacts himself, dreaming to explore the deeper parts of the dungeon and hopefully one day discovering what lies beyond the mysterious 5th dungeon door. GameplayMoonlighter game combines business simulation and rogue-lite experience.
As the main character, you will be tasked with earning gold by selling items to your customers. The catch is, you have to find and collect these items yourself by exploring the nearby random-generated dungeon and defeating monsters and bosses lurking in the darkness. The game features a night and day cycle, offering different activities based on the current time, mainly exploring the dungeon at night and running the Moonlighter shop during the day. One of the unique mechanics of the title is its loot system. As you defeat enemies and collect various items, you will find certain ones affected by the curse.
These items may have different side effects, depending on their placement inside your backpack. For example, you may find an item that destroys another item below that one when you exit the dungeon, so you will want to place it at the very bottom to prevent losing another artifact. This makes arranging the backpack a kind of a puzzle by itself, forcing you to think carefully how to place items to make the most out of the current dungeon run. As you progress through the game you will earn gold you can spend on various upgrades related to both the shop and your own power. The main goal of the title is to get past the sealed fifth door of the dungeon to see what lies beyond.
ReceptionMoonlighter for PCmet with a positive response. Critics praised the title's mechanics and a rewarding difficulty level - the game is not easy, but once you master the basics you will be more efficient. Reviewers and players alike also enjoyed the game's hypnotizing soundtrack and detailed pixel art and animations. They also found the gameplay appealing and noted that the number of games available on the market and offering similar experience is very limited.
