It seems like retro-style rogue-lites have been popping up more and more frequently in the indie game scene, and with this increase, it can be hard to start out. Digital Sun’s first release, Moonlighter, tries to stick its head above the rest with its blend of familiar and unique. In Moonlighter, you adventure into mysterious, ever-changing dungeons in the hopes to find riches and glory the deeper you delve. Something we have all down countless times; however, this game eschews from the cliche in its interesting take on selling your treasures. After escaping the dungeons with your life and loot, you run your own shop as a merchant selling your spoils to the town. This blend of old and new makes Moonlighter a contender, but is it enough to make a lasting impression?

At its core, Moonlighter is really two games. The first is a Zelda-like action RPG where you dive into several unique dungeons to find loot and kill monsters, and the second is a merchant sim where you sell the loot for maximum profit. Moonlighter plays very similarly to the SNES classics it pulls heavily from. Although it does not really stray much from its predecessors, the tight controls make things rather comfortable the moment you jump in, and the added dodge roll allows for good maneuverability and escape in hectic battles. At the start of the game, you only have access to one out of the five dungeons. Those five are a golem, forest, desert, tech and the last secret dungeon. After clearing three floors, the dungeon’s boss can be fought with the unlocking of the next tier after its defeat. Even though this is a rather generic progression, the thrill to see the next set-piece and enemy design keep things fresh. The dungeons are crafted beautifully and have their own feel. From the golem dungeon’s worn ruins to the tech dungeon’s mad scientist-inspired haunted house, each locale has their own personality and story to tell. As for the monsters, their sprites are amazing. Each dungeon theme spawns uniquely inspired creatures for the biome which makes you alter your tactics needed to overcome the challenges.

Much like many rogue-lite games, you start off as a weakling brandishing a broom as your main weapon, but as the story progresses, you are able to purchase and craft several types of weapons and armor. There are five different types of weapons (sword and shield, greatsword, spear, gloves and bow) with two categories of each (high damage or elemental) as well as three sets of armor (fast but low HP boost, slow but higher HP boost, and an average of the two) to choose. You can mix and match two weapons to carry and a head, body, and leg armor piece to wear for your adventures. This seemingly leaves dozens of options to choose from; however, other than the five different weapon choices, the armor doesn’t really seem to change movement speed too much, and the hp boost of light armor compared to heavy is not that drastic. To obtain all this gear, a crafting system opens up early on and gives you the option to sell these crafting materials for profit or save them for new gear later down the road. This adds another reason to jump into the dungeons again and again; however, as you progress down the crafting trees, it makes changing to different builds a little grindy halfway into the game’s 20-hour campaign. Another added bonus is the way Moonlighter manages all of its inventory for crafting and selling. Your dungeon pack only has a limited number of spaces, and some items have curses or other magically effects that alter how they fit in the bag. Some of these curses cause items to only fit at the bottom or on the sides, and some even change the item next to it as well. Managing exactly where each thing goes when you leave the dungeon is a surprising feature, and it can really help you turn a profit if mastered later on.

The economy is what makes Moonlighter stand out the most. It causes you to feel like you are manipulating the entire market based on your exploits in the dungeons. As you progress and invest in your little town, you see it develop into a bustling economic hub with expansions to your shop and new businesses you invest your gold into. After your foes have been thwarted and your spoils obtained, the real battle begins as a merchant. When running your shop, you control all aspects of it. You can choose what items to sell and at what prices. You can add decorations from your many conquests which influences your customers to add a tip to their purchases or scare off shoplifters to name a few bonuses. Once your wares have been set, you open the doors for business and then watch the customers react to your prices. Sell your items too cheap, and the customers’ eyes will shine greedily hinting at the profit just lost. Sell them too high, and your greed will drive the customers away and alter the price of that particular item for the worse if done too many times. While your shop is open for business, you do not sit idly by. Being the owner of the shop means you need to ring up the customer's purchases, make changes to the sales prices to ensure the best profit and catch would-be shoplifters sprinting from your store. Later on in the game, all of this can get rather crazy to juggle and adds a fun bit of anxiety to the simple task of selling loot for gold.

One of the most surprising aspects of Moonlighter is the music and use of sound. The theme of the town gives a feeling of warmth with a slight air of the unknown, and as new residence set up shops, the theme will change when speaking to them. For example, the theme alters from the usually piano overture to a lute when speaking with the enchantress, Eris, and the sounds of hammers hitting an anvil will play as the percussion while speaking to Andrei the blacksmith. Other than the town, each dungeon’s theme leaves a feeling of a vast mystery to explore while adding to the unique aesthetics. Lastly, the sounds of each hit from your weapons resonate with a satisfying impact, giving weight to each blow.

When it comes to the story though, Moonlighter might leave you wanting more. There is not very much in terms of character development since you play the silent protagonist. The character interactions are limited and other than a few interesting side comments, they don’t add to the story at all. Much of what you uncover is found in cryptic notes deep within the dungeons, and that doesn't really add a whole much overall. Also, the game is a little too easy, even on the hardest difficulty. An addition of a hardcore mode or turning it into a full-on roguelike would really add to the replayability. As of now, once you beat the game, the only reason to go back is to try out different weapons or get achievements.

Overall, Moonlighter is a jack-of-all-trades kind of game. All of the aspects come together to make a solid experience, but it can leave you wanting more in terms of story or character development. The one part that truly makes this game shine is its economy. If you want a light adventure with something a little different, Moonlighter is a game to spend your coin on.

SCORE:

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 Review copy courtesy of 11 bit studios