Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault Impressions

As Will has opened a shop in a new village, after having been forced to leave Rynoka behind, an Endless Vault appears, granting Will riches beyond his wildest dreams. As Will is struggling to return to his shopkeeper/adventurer 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, 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, 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, differing from one biome to the next, remains intact. However, what has been introduced are perks that are bestowed upon Will throughout the run, such as boosting an attack or causing an enemy to explode upon hit. 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. 

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, the new dungeons are wildly creative, and the music, composed by Christopher Larkin, is intense when it needs to be, thriving during combat, and calming when the tone demands it. Overall, the presentation given to this sequel, despite being unfinished, 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 successful, so that his earnings are more plentiful, and that he can hopefully return alive. Dying breaks and reduces the rarity of your findings, so it's good to use an amulet given to Will to retreat when the goings get 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. 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 far away threats, a charge that is built up as you deal melee damage. 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. 

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. You'll also find objects that you can attack that then send out seeking projectiles, allowing you to use the environment to your advantage.

As the game is in Early Access, there are only a small handful of levels available; three in fact. In Moonlighter, you progressed through chambers a la The Legend of Zelda, but with procedurally generated tile sets. Here, you explore a wide, open, and spacious series of environments, branching off with icons that indicate what you're going to find, with potential mysteries as a result of the path you’ve chosen. These even alert you to hordes of enemies with mid-bosses that are ready to hunt, or approaching the final boss of that location. 

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. 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. 

Customers will have animations and icons that appear during their judgment of the 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. 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.

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% on each purchase from that pedestal. 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. 

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. This includes 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. 

As you haul back relics from your ventures into the unknown, Will can set a price on them based on their rarity and value. Yes, relics now have both a value and a rarity, making their worth to be more in-depth with what you feel is a good price for them. This gives each relic a chance not to be glossed over in favor of others, as you really need to pay attention to your rewards at the end of a location. 

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. 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. 

From its combat to the shopkeeping habits of your customers to the small but thriving town, Moonlighter 2 is extremely gorgeous to look at. 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.

Moonlighter 2 may be in Early Access, with much left to flesh out its adventure, but the foundation is remarkably sound and feels polished in some key areas. The loop, loot, and shopkeeping are top-notch and ever more addictive than the original game. Moonlighter 2 offers up a compelling reason to jump in now, despite the nature of what Early Access can mean at the start of its journey. 

Developer - Digital Sun.
Publisher - 11 Bit Studios. Released - (Early Access) November 19th, 2025. Available On - Steam/PC. Rated - (N/A) - ESRB Not Available. Platform Reviewed - PC. Access - An Early Access code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this article.