2018's Moonlighter was one of the life-sim hybrids released in the wake of notorious time thief, Stardew Valley. The core loop of a day/night cycle and an ever-expanding list of activities to tick off is an age-old formula for getting oneself buried in an experience. Digital Sun added a compelling hook by having Will, a would-be adventurer in a little village called Rynoka, run a shop by day and raid dungeons at night to stock his establishment.
Moonlighter 2 completely overhauls the visual style of the first game, while adding significant changes to combat and exploration. It's a strong sequel that preserves the spirit of the original, while making some bold leaps from the mechanics established so well in that first outing.
We last saw Will and the denizens of Rynoka after they were invited to a multi-dimensional trade agreement by The Watchers. A new era of peace and prosperity dawns and is swiftly thrown into chaos by Moloch, who takes control of the dimensions raided in the first game and strands Will and his buddies in a new trade hub called Tresna.
Will continues to hone his craft as a shopkeeper-cum-relic hunter and soon gets to run his own store again. Meanwhile, a strange device emerges in the centre of town and seeks our hero out. Calling itself the Endless Vault, it compels Will to keep separating the locals from their gold pouches, offering prizes and an intriguing mystery in return.
From that narrative setup, Moonlighter 2 gets its claws into you, sending Will forth into diverse biomes filled with monsters and bosses, where the near-endless build experimentation is painfully addictive.
It's a game of two halves. By day, Will wanders Tresna, upgrading his weapons, glugging potions to get stronger and picking up side quests from the charming roster of villagers. He opens the store and sells relics to hungry punters with more money than sense. By night, he travels to alternate dimensions and battles through a set of randomised stages to fight beasties and hunt relics to line his shelves with. As his sales rack up, the Endless Vault stirs, unlocking unique upgrades to the town and your shop.
There's a story to pursue as well, with Will's companions pining for a homecoming and Moloch attempting to monopolise the multiverse. It's a bit more slow burn when compared to other roguelikes out there (Hades being the gold standard for persistent storytelling), but what's here is well-written and compelling.
Moonlighter 2 has tweaked its formula to be more akin to its contemporaries. Each run sends Will across a series of nodes, the random map comprising combat encounters, bosses, upgrade pit stops and NPC conversations that reward modifiers to affect the encounters beyond.
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