The first Moonlighter is one of the more challenging indie games I’ve played. And it’s got a hell of a premise. You play as Will, a shopkeeper with dreams of being an adventurer. In between runs, you sell goods at your shop and upgrade abilities and weapons. It’s a strange premise, but it worked.
Now, we’re getting close to the release of the sequel, and Digital Sun is giving us a look behind the scenes.
Moonlighter 2: Behind The Counter Ep. 1
The biggest change from the first game to Moonlighter 2 is that we’re going 3D. I loved the original game’s art style, but they’ve found a way to keep it while operating in three dimensions. The first video in the BTS series highlights the team’s desire to do something bigger and better as well as make the game more customizable.
The general gameplay loop remains the same. Venture into caves and dungeons, fight enemies, and collect loot. The key is understanding when to get the hell out. Because if you get too greedy, you will lose everything you fought for. If you choose to come out at the right time, though, you can sell what you earned at the shop.
Behind The Counter Ep. 2
Episode 2 of that series delves deeper into Moonlighter 2‘s gameplay loop, including details on selling items. You can have decorations and more that give you buffs when you’re selling items.
I love this addition because it makes that portion of the game feel more active and incentivizes you to take a few more risks in the dungeons, knowing what’s waiting for you on the surface.
I can’t wait to get my hands on this. I might run the first game back just to get the rhythm going again. This isn’t the type of game to go into cold. Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault comes out in Early Access on Steam on October 23rd, 2025.
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