Moonlighter

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☐ Beautiful
☑ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS

---{ Gameplay }---
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't

---{ Audio }---
☐ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☑ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf

---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma

---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run Paint
☑ Potato
☐ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☐ Old Fashioned
☑ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data

---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☑ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☐ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls

---{ Grind }---
☑ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding

---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☑ Good
☐ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life

---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☑ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond

---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☐ Worth the price
☑ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money

---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs

---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☑ 8
☐ 9
☐ 10

I had a lot of fun with Moonlighter for quite some time. There's a pretty great reward loop, and while it eventually gets old, it's fun to ransack dungeons and outfit your shop for a while. My biggest problem was that it just kind of sputtered out at the end. The final dungeon, if you can call it that, was a letdown, and I never truly felt rewarded for diligently running and upgrading my shop. Still, Moonlighter was a great diversion which I enjoyed. I have high hopes for the sequel and I am looking forward to playing it.

Moonlighter is a game that cleverly intertwines two seemingly contrasting genres—roguelike dungeon crawling and shopkeeping simulation—into a cohesive and deeply satisfying loop. Set in the quaint town of Rynoka, you play as Will, a young merchant with dreams of becoming a hero. By day, you manage your shop, set prices, and interact with townsfolk. By night, you delve into mysterious, procedurally generated dungeons filled with monsters, traps, and treasures. This duality of gameplay creates a rhythm that feels both relaxing and rewarding, with each loop of the day-night cycle feeding into the other in a meaningful way.
The shopkeeping side of the game is surprisingly engaging. Rather than acting as a passive break between action segments, running the store becomes a strategic mini-game of its own. You control everything from pricing and product placement to managing supply and demand. Customers react dynamically to the prices you set—too high, and they walk out; too low, and you’re leaving money on the table. As the game progresses, you can upgrade your shop, hire assistants, protect your goods from thieves, and even customize your storefront. These elements combine to make shopkeeping more than just a narrative device—it’s an essential pillar of progression that requires attention and planning.
The dungeon crawling is where Moonlighter taps into its roguelike roots. Each dungeon is randomly generated, offering new layouts and enemy patterns with every run. Combat is fast, fluid, and simple to learn, but mastering enemy patterns and managing stamina and positioning is crucial, especially in later dungeons where the difficulty ramps up. There’s a wide variety of weapons to choose from—greatswords, spears, bows, and more—all of which can be upgraded through crafting. Loot is abundant, but inventory space is limited, forcing players to make careful decisions about what to take, what to leave, and when to return to the surface. This constant risk-versus-reward tension makes every run into the dungeon feel purposeful.
What sets Moonlighter apart from other roguelikes is how it ties its progression systems into both sides of the game. The items you gather in dungeons aren’t just for selling; many are required for crafting and upgrading your weapons and armor. This creates a satisfying loop: explore dungeons to gather loot, sell that loot to fund better gear, then return stronger to delve deeper. The economy of the game becomes your lifeline, and every gold coin you earn has real weight. The game encourages long-term thinking—are you better off selling a rare item now or holding onto it to craft a new weapon later? These choices make you feel invested in both your shop and your dungeon expeditions.
Visually, Moonlighter is a standout. The pixel art is meticulously detailed, with vibrant color palettes and smooth animations that give both the town and the dungeons a strong sense of character. The town feels alive, especially as you help it grow by inviting new vendors and upgrading facilities. Dungeons are beautifully distinct, with each one themed around different elements and filled with unique enemy designs. The soundtrack complements the visuals perfectly, switching between calm, melodic tunes in town and more tense, driving music during dungeon runs. The art and audio work hand in hand to immerse players in this charming, slightly melancholic world.
There are a few drawbacks worth noting. While the core gameplay loop is highly addictive, it can eventually become repetitive, particularly if you focus too much on grinding without actively progressing through the dungeons. The inventory management system, though intentionally restrictive, can become tedious after prolonged play sessions. Some of the later dungeons introduce enemies that feel less balanced, and a few boss fights can be more frustrating than fun. Additionally, while there is some narrative framing, the story is relatively thin, relying more on atmosphere and world-building than deep character arcs or dialogue.
Still, these minor issues don’t detract from the overall experience. Moonlighter succeeds because it understands its strengths and builds on them with care. It doesn’t just offer two gameplay styles—it integrates them in a way that enhances both. Each system feeds into the other, creating a loop that keeps players engaged for hours on end. Whether you’re perfecting your shop’s pricing strategy or carefully plotting your next dungeon dive, there’s always a new goal to work toward, a new item to discover, or a new upgrade to craft.
In the end, Moonlighter is more than just a mashup of genres—it’s a thoughtfully designed game that respects the player’s time and rewards investment. Its blend of action, strategy, and management offers a refreshing twist on familiar mechanics, wrapped in a beautifully presented world. For players who enjoy games with progression, meaningful systems, and a bit of heart, Moonlighter delivers a memorable and gratifying experience that stands out in the indie action-RPG space.
Rating: 8/10

I had bought a physical copy of the game for the Switch not long after release but I never finished it. So I found it for a couple of bucks with DLC in a Steam sale recently. With the sequel now out, it makes sense to go back and finish it.
I just want to preface the rest of this by saying I made the mistake of watching a few videos on youtube about how to finish the final boss. My advice: don't do it. Just read this. As of late I seem to run into the same problem where I find the game either about right or even kinda easy and then the final boss is so ludicrously difficult that I eventually give up, give it a negative review and move on with my life - the equivalent of having a hissy, then taking my bat and ball and going home. And I didn't want that again.
The few videos I saw all mention using the sword and having it fully levelled, which I later discovered did not work for me. Yes, it does a lot of damage but I found it far too clunky. Will (name of the main character) swings that thing around like a 2 tonne hammer and is not quick enough to move out of the way which didn't gel with my way of playing and found I was taking too much damage.
I didn't actually watch these videos until I finished all 4 dungeons and it was at this moment, I realized I didn't HAVE the big sword. I had gotten by in the game with just the gloves and spear. So I needed so raise some capital. Before you ask, "Didn't you just try the final boss with what you had BEFORE the sword?" Yes, I did. And I died. But I realize now that it wasn't because I didn't have the sword. I died because I sucked and didn't come prepared with enough potions.
It's worth mentioning too, that I was getting tired of mindlessly grinding each level because the levels all kinda play out the same. It started out interesting because of the struggle, the exploration and the notes left behind by other adventurers. Other people here in the reviews complained about the combat being jank but I only felt that before I did any upgrades. Once he got good enough to control, each dungeon was only brickwalled off because of a lack of upgrade. They have a different visual theme and the enemies look different but the combat plays out about the same.
The grind doesn't feel too bad but the hours go by super quick when dungeon 4 doesn't give you as many items as the 3 previous dungeons. Meaning you have to spend a little bit longer to get more items. And the step up in money I needed for the upgrade all scaled. The people in these reviews who said they were getting so much money by the end of it, is only somewhat true. You DO make a lot of money. But you also NEED a lot of money to buy a weapon fully upgraded. Buy the items you need from the retail guy (because I didn't want to spend more time grinding the appropriate dungeon looking for it) if you don't already have them and get old mate to build the weapon. But you NEED to have the pink chrystals which you can't buy anywhere to enhance the weapons and need more money to do THAT and the time required now all starts to add up.
By the time I got to the boss, tried the sword, died a bunch I realized I need to grind some more to afford some potions cause up until now, I didn't really need them. My bag is so small and it's nearly always full by the time I need to exit the dungeon so potions were not really needed in the first 3 dungeons. And the 4th one only needed potions until you had enough saved to level up your armor and weapons to the max level. So potions didn't feel like an essential thing to have to me. I never bothered with the potions that helped you find the exit, either. I would just put down a portal back to camp when my bag got too full or I was running out of life and I could come back to the spot in the dungeon.
The potions really only helped when I abandoned the sword idea and went back to speak and gloves. And that was ironically 100% more effective. Grinding for that sword was 100% a waste of time. I can punch quickly and spear can attack and keep enemies outside of arms reach if I needed that.
The shop side of things essentially turned into spreadsheet: the video game. It started off with a text file I created when I played this the first time on the Switch. But then upgraded to a spreadsheet. Next would have been an access database with a cute little GUI but that was a level of dedication I wasn't prepared to put in.
Couldn't believe my luck that I even kept the file the first time around, so I could keep track of how much I marked items. And the prices were the same. Eventually I got sick of this portion of the game and once the woman who shows up later in the game offers to sell your ♥♥♥♥ for you, I did that 100% of the time cause the novelty of guessing wore off about 20 hours in. Because I found with some items, they had a real weird "perfect" amount (1 item I remember was 1973 for some reason) that I couldn't figure out and just found out by continuing to guess.
I enjoyed it at the beginning but by the end, I was well and truly over it. So much so that I have no interest in finishing the DLC. On one hand, I would give this a weak recommendation but as you can tell, I made some self-inflicted mistakes that did hamper my enjoyment of the game. YMMV

I have only played this for 3 hours (bought it on sale for 1.99) and I'm already obsessed. It's one of those games that just feels like crack and WORKS. 5/5 so far, no notes.

7/10
The first 10–12 hours are genuinely fun, especially when figuring out pricing, upgrading your shop, and tackling dungeon. But once i got past the third dungeon, the grind set in hard. Progress became more about farming gold than skill, and the gameplay loop kinda started to feel stale. But that said, the game was pretty engaging ( a bit boring yes but engaging enough for me to 100% it)
Pros:
Addictive early-game loop
Gorgeous pixel art and relaxing soundtrack (honestly the soundtrack is really nice)
Fun mix of shop sim and action RPG
Plenty of gear to collect and have fun with ( i like games where i can collect items hehe)
Cons:
Gets very grindy
Combat was quite clunky.. so were the keyboard binds (they annoyed me a bit ngl :( )
Micromanaging inventory/shop gets tedious
Story is paper-thin
Wanderer DLC is literally just an extra dungeon lol
There’s still a lot of charm here tho <3 Since the devs of the game are actually active ones, here are a few suggestions from my side
Please reduce late game grind... Like maybe there can be a dispatch system or something similar.
An auto-sorting inventory? maybe just an option to enable/ disable it?
Co-op mode... i'd love one in this game
Just wandering around gets a bit boring.. maybe some flash events that appear randomly?
Adding a bit of lore/ plot? maybe few extra npcs which tell random bits abt the story?

I don´t know how to feel about Moonlighter. The main gameplay loop consists of going into a dungeon where you kill monsters and progress further. After you complete the dungeon or escape, you will try to sell all the stuff that you gathered in your little shop. On paper it sounds fun, but I found some things in this game that just made me upset.
The first problem I had with this game was the combat. I thing that the movement and actions that the character does are extremely slow and not really fluent. It feels like there is very big cooldown after attack co you can´t roll immediately. I understand why the devs did it, because then the game would be much easier. But for me it ruined the thrill of battling in the dungeon. Later in the game I found my self just rushing through the floors, so I can get to the boss. Because that was the only intense moment in the dungeon. Everything in the dungeon is a little slower than I would want. Sometimes even the boss wasn´t any challenge because of the speed of the game.
The second problem was the progression system. Only way to progress in this game is by grinding the materials in the dungeons and then selling them so you can upgrade. Yeah what else should I expect from this game right? But I feel like that this would not be such a problem if the dungeons were more fun.
Also the story is nothing special and the dialogs are not interesting.
I really like the shop management part. The selling system is very fun and complex. For every item that you have you decide what it will cost and you hope that you guessed the right price. When someone wants to buy it, they make expression if they like the price and how much they like it or not. Based on that you try to modify the price so that its worth it for you and for the customers. Because if you sell overpriced stuff then no one will buy from you. Sometimes you can up the price a little bit on item that has a high demand and you will get away with it. However if the customers start to hate your price on some items, then you need to lower the price a lot or put it on big sale. This way running the shop every day makes it an enjoying and very interactive experience that I was always looking forward to.
As for the graphics and overall style of the game. I feel like its alright. The pixel art is pleasant to look at and the soundtrack is sometimes good and sometimes not so much. I haven't found anything to hate but also to love about it.
My conclusion is. If you are looking for a game that is grindy, slow, not so challenging and has fun shop management mechanics. Then this game is for you. But I was not able to stick to this game till the end because of it. Maybe one day I will come back to this game and finish what I started but who knows.
You can see my other reviews here Backloggd