Dungeon Crawling by Calculation. A Review of the Moonlighter 2 "Roguelite" - The Endless Vault [Early Access]

Moonlighter returns after seven years and surprises. By how carefully the developers treat the original formula. One can't help but wonder: why so long, and in early access? You open Digital Sun's track record — and they are also the creators of The Mageseeker and Cataclismo — and you realize that they have not wasted their time. But is a "safe" sequel enough in 2025, and what to expect from the full version — we'll tell you in this article.

A Change of Perspective

Let's start with the most noticeable thing — the visuals. Otherwise, someone will definitely cling to my phrase about a "safe sequel", because even with the naked eye it is clear how much Moonlighter 2 differs from the original.

The developers abandoned pixel graphics in favor of three-dimensional isometry, while maintaining the overall mood and recognizable color palette. The decision turned out to be successful: the transition to 3D does not radically change the character of the game, but makes it more modern and visually cleaner.

Improved animation, clear telegraphing of attacks, and careful work with lighting make the picture expressive, but not overloaded. The character and environment models look neat and natural. The atmosphere remains the same — the same measured pace, the same cozy feel, only in a more collected and smooth execution.

The overall harmony is emphasized by Christopher Larkin's soundtrack, which sets the mood for each location. And this is perhaps the optimal result for such a cautious sequel, which at first glance may seem almost like a remake of the original. Although, of course, this is not the case at all.

Three Months — Like Seven Years

The events of Moonlighter 2 unfold three months after the finale of the original. For the game world, this is not much, but for players — almost seven years of waiting. Will, Tomo, and Zenon are trying to start a new life after Moloch's invasion of Rynoka. Apparently, they spent these three months in a state of serene idleness, until Mrs. Cash gave Will a kick in the butt and literally threw him into the dungeon — to mine relics, sell them, and finally start earning money.

The basic motivation is clear, but after a short training prologue, Will and company encounter the Endless Vault, which suddenly appeared in the middle of the city. It promises to fulfill any wish for the one who passes all the tests. Tomo sees this as a chance to return to Rynoka, and the game cycle gets an additional meaning, because the key condition for the tests is earning gold.

Thus begins a new adventure, essentially repeating the path of the first part: again a shop, again raids for relics, and the same eternal temptation to grab a little more from the dungeon than you can carry. At the same time, Digital Sun is in no hurry with the intrigue. The plot develops in fragments, without attempts to unfold a large-scale drama, and the only thing you manage to understand in fifteen hours of playing is that Moloch is still hungry and sooner or later will get to Tresna, the current refuge of the heroes.

Three in One

The basis of the gameplay remains classic, but has acquired a more modern structure. Having chosen a starting weapon, the player goes to conquer one of six locations — two for each of the three worlds. These are no longer the usual dungeons, but branched zones with their own setting, enemies, and conditions.

Each map has a choice of route: chests with relics, resources, temporary bonuses, or events with special rules. The scheme is familiar from many "roguelikes", but it works reliably and sets a basic level of strategy.

At first, the variety of bonuses and room types is small: only one world is available, and new effects appear as you progress. At the same time, each zone boils down to clearing enemies, periodic skirmishes with mini-bosses, and a final boss unique to each location.

The developers have not yet offered additional activities or variable events in the classic formula, and combat enhancements look simplified — mainly numerical boosters such as increased damage or reduced incoming damage.

In a vacuum, this seems modest for 2025, and it is especially disappointing that there is no magical moment that many fell in love with the genre for: when, in the midst of a run, the synergy between improvements reaches its peak, breaking the usual mechanics and turning chaos into pleasure. Nevertheless, it would be wrong to say that there is no synergy here at all, or that the player does not feel the growth of power — all this is present, just arranged differently.

In the context of Moonlighter, this feels natural, because the game itself is not only about this. Sometimes, when going to clear a location, the player does not even aim to defeat the boss. After all, inside this isometric "roguelite" are hidden three games at once: a combat action game, inventory management, and a trading simulator. Let's talk about each one in essence.

Heavy Arguments

The first and most dynamic part of Moonlighter 2 is the battles. At the heart is still melee combat, supplemented by simple but useful ranged means. Before starting the run, the player chooses two types of weapons — one for melee and one ranged. Both work in parallel: regular attacks, rolls, and special moves are combined with shooting without having to switch between weapons.

Plus, Will has a backpack strike — a separate technique that allows you to inflict devastating damage on a stunned enemy and send him flying, for example, directly into another enemy or into a trap — a very nice thing!

The basic set of weapons opens almost immediately: a sword, a long sword, a spear, and gloves. Each has its own set of movements and special attacks. The "slingshooter", which charges from close-range strikes and releases bursts of energy, acts as a ranged weapon. Later, its laser version appears — slower, longer-range, and more powerful. I didn't like it: the shot charge seems unjustified in terms of range or damage, and it's also inconvenient to aim when playing with a gamepad.

The long sword has a similar story. Its special attack animation seems to be created for a rapier, not a bulky blade, and lasts longer than some enemies' attacks. At the same time, there is no roll animation cancellation, so Will will receive random slaps until the player studies the habits of the opponents. Perhaps my personal taste also affects this: if there is an alternative, I almost always avoid heavy two-handed weapons.

But the gloves pleasantly surprised me — quickly slicing enemies always brings pleasure, and elemental effects, like lightning, accumulate noticeably faster. The spear stands out for its ability to control the distance: a few accurate lunges, a change of position — and now the tips are already flying towards the enemy like projectiles. Later, they can be made self-guided, although this option does not open immediately, but at the blacksmith, as part of the progression.

Each weapon has four variations with different passive effects — they compensate for the relative modesty of the enhancements in the runs. Improvements do not turn the game upside down, but allow you to gradually find the most convenient combat style.

Bosses complete each location and serve as a test of attentiveness — and a little bit of reaction. Their attacks are read clearly, the phases differ in rhythm, but rarely present surprises. Patterns are memorized quickly, so the difficulty feels moderate: success depends more on the collected enhancements and accuracy than on skill and filigree timing. A couple of healing potions usually do the trick, and sometimes it's enough not to be greedy and not to rush.

Individual battles still stand out for their design and staging. For example, the battle with Monte, who controls a flying stingray in the second location of Aeolia — the Howling Bay. It is spectacular, large-scale, and feels like a final battle — which is logical, because in essence it is the main boss of early access.

However, the game does not deal with balance immediately. At the start, enemies seem excessively tenacious even on normal difficulty, and high difficulty is not properly configured at all. Most of all, there is a lack of healing items. Their improvement is available from a separate NPC: over time, you can increase the supply of potions and unlock a hot spring in front of the boss. At first, it restores only part of the health, and after the upgrade — completely. But the fact is that you have to upgrade not only weapons and consumables.

Tetris with a Catch

Once you've dealt with the enemies, the next key element of Moonlighter 2 comes into play: inventory management. During the runs, you open chests with relics — two random ones and one of your choice — and all this needs to be placed competently in the backpack.

"Competently" here is not just for show: in addition to ordinary items without effects, there are special relics that affect neighboring ones. Some strengthen them, others destroy or change properties, turning filling the backpack into a small tactical puzzle.

Each cell matters: if you place it unsuccessfully, you will lose part of the loot, and if you collect the combination correctly, you can squeeze the maximum out of the limited space. Over time, the mechanic becomes familiar and even pleasant, although at first it noticeably knocks down the pace after each arena.

Especially considering that the effects of relics differ in each of the three worlds: from burning and armor in the first to electrification and accumulation in the second and metamorphoses in the third.

The latter, by the way, seem to be the least verified: the transformation of some relics into others is more tied to chance than others, and the backpack is often clogged with useless (read — cheap) junk.

Otherwise, the systems are similar, but the main difficulty is the limited volume of the backpack. At the beginning, there is not enough space to keep relics in reserve without activating their effect. For example, an item that burns the relic on the left can be placed in the extreme slot so that the ability does not work, and when needed, move it to the right place.

As you upgrade the backpack, there are more such opportunities. The quality of loot is also improved separately: the chance of rare relics and combat enhancements falling out increases.

Why is all this necessary? The final set of trophies depends directly on the location and properties of the relics, which means — and the income from their sale. After all, after returning to the surface, everything found must be sold in your own shop — the "Moonlight" store.

Working in Two Shifts

Our main character works almost without days off and without sleep. You can, of course, take a nap on the bed, but usually it's only worth catching your breath after a tense run for trophies — and the second shift, the trading shift, immediately begins. As before, the player sets the prices for the found relics himself, but now the system has become clearer and more visual.

You can set any first price, and then you just have to watch the reaction of the buyers. There are four options: they will buy with delight if the price is too low; they will buy with joy if it is optimal; they will grumble discontentedly, but pay if you have slightly overdone it; or they will simply leave if the product is clearly overpriced.

At the start, you have to guess, building your own pricing policy, but the found optimal cost is automatically remembered, so there is no need to repeat the experiments. The mood of the buyers is shown by pop-up emoticons — a simple but understandable solution.

Selling at the optimal price fills a special counter — a local analogue of enhancements from combat runs. When the scale is filled, you can activate temporary bonuses for the trading session: increase the value of relics or increase the probability (and size) of tips. The number of available improvements and their strength depend on a separate branch of pumping.

All this is managed by an automated assistant 34VX03 — a robot that calculates the markup depending on the rarity of the relic, allows you to store goods between runs, open new improvements, and even customize the store: change the color of the walls, floor, the model of the cash register, and other decorative details.

However, the furniture installed through it affects not only the visuals. Showcases, carpets, flags, and statues give passive effects: increase the increase in tips, increase the value of certain types of relics, or speed up their sale. This makes you think about the layout of the store and optimize the trading space.

Buyers who look into the shop also differ among themselves. In addition to ordinary people, there are collectors who hunt for specific relics and are willing to pay more for them, as well as mindless spendthrifts who would buy everything in a row at three times the price — in fact, the same collectors, only unpretentious.

On paper, the trading system looks simple, but it works in conjunction with the other mechanics. However, it still lacks depth for a real step forward. For example, I find it difficult to recommend the game to those who are looking for a full-fledged trading simulator — there are much more elaborate projects. Just like I would rather suggest fans of combat "roguelikes" start with Hades II or Curse of the Dead Gods. This feeling of a slight "under-twisting" stretches through almost all aspects of the game.

Nevertheless, it is the relationship of all the elements that reminds us of what Moonlighter was once loved for: for a simple but honest idea, where every action in one part of the gameplay resonates in another. Trading, mining, inventory management, and improvements work as a single, holistic, and in its own way cozy cycle. It does not twist your arms, does not test your nerves, but simply gives you the opportunity to spend a few evenings pleasantly — at the current stage, a full unlock and passage of the available content will take about twenty hours.

Potholes of Early Access

Finally, I would like to note a number of shortcomings and shortcomings that do not look critical, but can spoil the impression. At the current stage, the game, for example, does not have a save during the run. This means that you cannot exit the game in the middle of a raid and then continue — all progress and loot will disappear in this case.

But, if there is not enough time to complete the run, you can leave it voluntarily even during the battle, saving everything found. Considering that upon death, the relics in the backpack lose half their value, this possibility emphasizes the very idea that sometimes the run is made exclusively for the sake of earning money: you choose the most profitable route, and you get combat enhancements according to the residual principle.

Also, during testing, I encountered one bug: a flying enemy hung in the air and was out of reach for melee attacks, and I could not shoot it down — the slingshooter's ammunition ran out, and there was no one to replenish it, because the rest of the enemies were already dead. Here again, the ability to independently interrupt the run and save the loot helped out, but the situation is still unpleasant.

Otherwise, the game works stably: I did not encounter other serious errors or technical problems. The ones that are there look more like isolated cases — they will probably be corrected in the near future.

Diagnosis

The idea of combining a trading simulator with a combat "roguelike" once ensured the lion's share of the original Moonlighter's success — it gave meaning to the very essence of the runs for loot. Moonlighter 2 retains this formula and develops it pointwise, without trying to reinvent the wheel. However, despite the abundance of cosmetic and systemic improvements, the overall balance between the elements does not yet feel fully built.

The combat system is pleasant and dynamic — in some places even deeper than many direct competitors, since all skills can really come in handy here. However, its potential is limited by the progression within the run.

Inventory management is still interesting, but it clearly lacks flexibility; this is especially felt in the third location, where the effects of relics seem less thought out.

Trading is initially fascinating, but over time it turns into a clear routine based on repeating already learned rules.

Thus, none of the mechanics by itself pulls on an outstanding achievement, but this is where the magic of Moonlighter lies. Only together they form a holistic and cozy cycle, in which it is simply pleasant to be: dungeons bring loot, the shop turns it into gold, gold — into improvements, and improvements give you the opportunity to feel more confident in the next run.

At the same time, the game has obvious potential. With the advent of new locations, combat enhancements will surely become more diverse, new types of relics and ways to interact with them will appear. Even in the already open worlds, the developers have left direct hints of expansion — the inscriptions "coming soon" promise future trials and events. So far, not all shop upgrades are available, and only four of the six Endless Vault trials have been implemented.

This inspires hope for deepening existing systems and the emergence of new ones; in addition, Digital Sun promises "several surprises". And if the team manages to develop the stated ideas, Moonlighter 2 can grow from a neat sequel into a full-fledged continuation that confidently moves forward.

Already now, the game can definitely be recommended to fans of the original, and everyone who doubts should take a closer look at it on the Xbox Game Pass subscription, wait for the release of the full version, or wait for a discount.