Shopping addiction.
Moonlighter, released in 2018, was a charming and visually exciting shop keeping game where Will, the protagonist, would explore dungeon after dungeon, all in efforts to populate his meager shop with found loot, and build his business into something special after each and every expedition.
Moonlighter 2, which has now fully released, advances the formula to revel more in its rogue-lite elements, with open environments, different paths, and a completely different visual style that truly compliments its charming cast and gives the game a ton of personality. That said, your shop ain't gonna supply itself.
Will has opened a shop in a new village, after having been forced to leave Rynoka behind. Shortly, after opening his shop, an entity called the Endless Vault appears, granting Will riches beyond his wildest dreams.
As Will is struggling to return to his shopkeeping ways while adjusting to this new town, he will have to fashion new gear, brave new locales, and maintain his shop, hoping to not only appease his customers and their quirky tastes, but to satisfy the Endless Vault’s hunger for a bargain. Moonlighter is back and better than ever.
What sets this adventure off is the reward the Endless Vault offers: vast riches and a wish. Of course, that wish has to be to take back Rynoka, but is that even a possibility, given that it is now under the control of the interdimensional collector, Moloch. While Moloch does make an appearance early on, it only serves to show the stakes of what Will has to overcome, and that all begins by opening his new shop, pleasing his new clientele, and showing the Endless Vault that he has what it takes.
Now taking place in full 3D, albeit from a set perspective, Moonlighter 2 is a visually striking experience in the same way its predecessor was at the time, just now modernized and akin to how most games would make the jump from pixels to polygons. Played from an isometric perspective, Will will combat new foes, explore a wonder of new locations, and see that he collects enough relics to make a profit in his store; all while trying to stay alive.
The core loop of managing the store and venturing into distant lands, which differ from one biome to the next, remains intact. Previously, you explored compact and isolated dungeons, ala The Legend of Zelda. These varied from Golem, Forest, Desert, to Tech. You also had a pretty limited inventory, which couldn't be expanded, making you really scrutinize what you kept and took back with you. The fact that your inventory space is just your relics now, and not everything you bring with you, or the materials you need for upgrading, is a game changer here.
However, what has been introduced are perks that are bestowed upon Will throughout the run that can boost your attack, gun damage, or increase your chance to find higher rarities of items. Different perks below to different categories, so you'll have an idea what to expect when you approach them.
Previously, you used rings or drank elixirs, or upgraded your gear to provide that extra edge. Here, you have NPC’s and perk platforms that provide Will a choice between three different perks, some that come with a risk and reward choice, like reducing your health for three rooms, but then boosting it once you've survived the trial.
There are also shop bonuses as well, but we will get to the running, managing, and shop business shortly. The changes made here make Moonlighter 2 more of a roguelite than ever before, and it's all for the betterment of the experience. While I can see long time fans of the original being let down by some of the streamlining here, I came away from Moonlighter 2 feeling better about it than the original, which still has its charm.
In fact, every change or refinement of what was present thoroughly makes Moonlighter 2 a more engaging experience. The new town is filled to the brim with new characters, and some returning favorites, the new dungeons are wildly creative, and the music, composed by Christopher Larkin of Hollow Knight fame, is intense when it needs to be, thriving during combat, and calming when the tone demands it. Overall, the presentation given to this sequel is remarkably impressive.
As Will and his friends look to settle into this new town, effectively branded as refugees, the town is warm, inviting, and charming, even if Will’s new Landlord is on their last nerve due to his inability to make money. Many residents can fashion items or upgrades for Will to make his runs more lucrative, so that his earnings are more plentiful, and that he can hopefully return alive. Dying breaks and reduces the rarity of your findings, instead of you losing it all, so it's good to use an amulet given to Will to retreat when the going gets tough.
While you'll start with a broom, Will will gain the materials needed to craft his first of four weapon types. From swords, great swords, spears, and close-range gauntlets, Will will also be able to find more advanced weapon variants as the game goes on, although those require a fairly rare currency to craft. The great sword was fast and powerful enough to deal out damage without making me feel too vulnerable. The close-range gauntlets, however, made me feel fragile at every step, and didn't quite do enough damage to warrant their speed.
Combat, regardless of your weapon choice, is fast, frantic, and requires that Will dodge-roll out of the way, or fire off a gun to blast far away threats, a bullet-charge that is built up as you deal melee damage, one that has even quicker charge-up when you perform your weapon's special attack.
Regardless of the various enemies that each biome offers, combat is thoroughly enjoyable and feels tight, responsive, and agile enough that you rarely feel the game is at fault for taking any sort of damage. Environments feel big enough to warrant combat, yet small enough that combat doesn’t get out of hand. And, with environmental options that almost act like turrets, or lasers that lock enemies in place, or one of several other combative options, you can also shoot flying orbs that then follow you around and blast away at enemies, in one of my favorite biomes the game offers at least.
Enemies have numerous patterns, attacks, and abilities that you'll soon learn to avoid taking any damage as long as you identify the biggest threats in the room and take them out first, that or pesky ranged attackers that litter the field with dangerous AOE circles. The variety is impressive, with each biome having their own types, both during ventures into different areas of the same biome.
As you explore each biome, you'll then choose a path forward. Each destination has their own icon, with multiple paths to take. However, even destinations that are set for perks or blueprints can, and often do, have enemies. These locations vary from indicating loot is present, to mini-bosses or tough challenges. You can eventually add healing rooms or onsets to refill some health before that area’s boss. Think Slay the Spire or Inscryption as a guide for how that pathing works.
Bosses themselves are solid, with many having digestible patterns to figure out, and different weaknesses. However, most bosses are built around a purple energy that can be deflected with your bag, causing damage to their shields. Still, from the game's first to its last, these are always a treat.
The tone of combat is also flavoured by a musical score that is purely sublime, as Hollow Knight's Christopher Larkin nails the energy this game exudes. Honestly, some moments feel as if the music is telling a story; the threats around Will as he is chased in the early moments of this game are wildly enjoyable due to a score that really gets the heart pumping. If not for the threat of dying, I would have stayed to enjoy the music, but alas, Will needed to survive, so I pressed on.
As you explore each of these biomes, you'll gather trinkets and relics, items that will fetch a buyer, and hopefully at a good margin. Will will need to please the Endless Vault as his requirements for unlocking even more progress start at 10K and then immediately jumps to 50K for his next ask, with 120K to follow, and so on. So, you'll want to ensure your shop is ready and capable of earning you some solid coin.
At first, your store is modest, barren, and unappealing. While you'll eventually be able to buy items to spruce it up and cause customers to be a bit more forgiving with their wallets, you'll start small, basic, and skirting by with the bare minimum. You'll initially have four pedestals to place and sell your relics. You'll set the price, and the game will record if someone found it to be too expensive, just right, or priced at a steal. Once you have that information, you can start to increase the prices to find where they will be pleased or somewhat satisfied with the price.
Now, prices can fluctuate based on the pedestal, your perks, and a variety of other options. So, you could place a relic that normally sells for 1200 and see the price jump to 1800 and that is due to those different factors. Still, you'll always be notified if a price is too high, or too low, with the menu for selling indicating if your greed is too far out of line.
However, what you bring back is gauged by your inventory. You'll start with ten spaces, and can purchase more space as you go on. So, for a while, you'll only have ten items to sell each day, which can cause you to weigh your options out on an expedition, knowing what to keep, toss, or keep space free for something down the road.
Customers will have animations and icons that appear during their judgment of those items. Gold in their eyes indicates that you’ve priced the item too low and that they see this purchase as a steal. A regular and basic face is them being pleased with the deal, with very telling icons and expressions for when they find that a deal is just too expensive or something they bite their tongue and deal with the cost. And, should you have the specific requirements met, regular customers come in to browse your goods, not just the randomized clients that barge through your door.
As mentioned, you'll also be able to change the pedestals to allow for perks and bonuses as you place items, such as gaining an additional 10% tip on each purchase from that pedestal or an immediate windfall of money off the bat. Shop perks are also a new element where each satisfied customer will fill a gauge that causes a passive bonus to be present while your shop is open, such as gaining tips on every sale. These perks cause you to be more engaged with your customers' shopping habits as you raise your prices and yet keep them satisfied. If they are happy, then you are happy, and if they are not, well… you know.
You'll also be granted a robot assistant from your landlord, Scratch. K33P3R will act as a way to also decorate your shop and allow for deeper customization. So, for all intents and purposes, they are an interactive menu. Their features include new layouts, decorations, such as plants and partition walls, and more. It allows your shop to have a bit of personality and make it yours. Moonlighter 2 does a lot to really make the shop experience feel personal and reflective of its player. That said, you really have to dig into the game's systems to unlock new items and then, of course, buy them.
As you haul back relics from your ventures into the unknown, you'll set a price on them based on their rarity and value. This will allow more flexibility in what you're able to sell them for. This gives each relic a chance not to be glossed over in favor of others, as you really need to pay attention to what you find, and what you bring back.
Relics also have status conditions when placed in your bag. Some will boost the value or rarity when placed next to others, while some may ignite and burn away the relic next to them, grant them armor against such curses, or petrify, or shock them. This causes the placement of the relics in your bag to be a mini-game of its own. I’ve seen items that have sold for nearly a thousand to be decimated due to a poorly placed scenario.
However, if you start to take a look at how this system works, you can multiply their value almost ten fold. While the perks you have in your shop may boost an item's value, using that in combination with this system can truly raise your profits in the end. And, to be fair, given the hunger the vault has, you'll need to really master this system.
From its combat to the shopkeeping habits of your customers to the small but thriving town, Moonlighter 2 is extremely gorgeous to look at, and even better to play. Characters animate extremely well, with a nice use of color to really make each environment stand out from the next. The change to 3D helps differentiate between this new adventure and its predecessor, and yet, it still looks like it belongs in the same series. If anything, Moonlighter 2 offers me the visual upgrade I wanted from Hyper Light Drifter, but never truly got in the end.
While some may be disappointed at some of the changes to core systems, or further leaning into its rogue-lite elements, Moonlighter 2 feels just so good, and that isn't just toward its combat, but its shopkeeper aspect too. Systems may feel streamlined, and many are, but these changes are intentional and do a lot to make each run slick and easy to jump into. Sequels rarely see this level of change, especially on the indie side, so I certainly applaud how much bigger in scale and scope Moonlighter 2 is.
Developer - Digital Sun.
Publisher - 11 Bit Studios. Released - September 2nd, 2026. Available On - Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Nintendo Switch 2, PC. Rated - (E 10+) - Fantasy Violence, Language Platform Reviewed - Xbox Series X/S. Access -Review code for Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.