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When the original Moonlighter came out I was intrigued by its premise of a shopkeeper who battles through dungeons at night to stock and run his store during the day. The implementation of each facet didn’t feel fully fleshed out to me, but it did well enough to warrant a sequel. I had a chance to check out Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault in Early Access and literally every aspect is improved, delivering a game that is Hades 2-quality and incredibly fun to play.
Moonlighter 2 is set after the events of the original game. The residents, and our shopkeeper Will, are banished from their homeworld and land in the village of Tresna. Lost and alone, they integrate with the locals, and Will is quickly tasked to put his skills to the test exploring the nearby realms and collecting relics to sell in his shop.
A local leader starts Will and his friends on their journey by providing a shop, a robot companion to help customize and grow the business, and a path to new realms filled with loot. But in this iteration of Moonlighter, Will is not doing this just to grow his business. He is doing it to help Tresna, get resources, and maybe find a way home.
Shortly after the adventure starts, Will and his friends are summoned to a strange entity calling itself the Endless Vault. If Will gathers enough money, a vault will open granting priceless treasures. These turn out to be artifacts that enable new crafting, stores, upgrades, and perks to Will – for the right price.
This loop is all anyone could need to cue up an addicting and fun adventure like the one Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault offers. Will selects a weapon (there are four “types” and additional variations can be crafted and discovered); enters a realm; and then battles through a branching path to a unique boss.
Currently the game has three distinct worlds to explore, and I mean distinct, with radically different enemies, landscapes, traps, and visuals. The relics you find react differently as well. In the initial area you can burn or armor relics; in another you shock and absorb them. It makes sorting, choosing, and positioning relics crucial as you explore.
To get these relics you need to choose a room that has a chest icon. Once you eliminate all the bad guys with your weapon of choice and trusty gun, the chest appears and relics can be manipulated and chosen. Other rooms have powerups and perks like upgrades or challenges that provide benefits.
The combat is incredibly fun, which was a relief as I found the first game a tad shallow. The ability to roll, shoot, and attack with combos and special attacks makes battles fun and frantic. All the weapons handle differently, each with nuances to master. My favorite was the short sword, for the quick combos and spinning special attack.
Once powerups and perks get added to the weapons and abilities, combat gets even more addicting, for example with environmental effects added or shields gained per room. While I always wanted a full backpack each run, I prioritized powerups early to be able to last as long as possible on each.
If you make it to the end and defeat the boss you get a special material and all your found relics get sent home with you intact. If you die the relics return but their bonus levels (think value multipliers) get cut in half. Not a bad penalty, and it makes playing even partway through a run feel worthwhile.
This leads to the second main component of the game: running the store. I felt that in the first game this was also a little bit thin and cumbersome. In this version it is a dream, and actually fun to experience each and every time.
Relics found are placed on pedestals (as the game progresses the store expands) and prices are set. If it’s the first time the relic is sold, you need to guess on a price – there are different quality levels (common, uncommon, rare, epic, deluxe) which generally cause a step-up in prices.
Once relics are placed and prices set the store can open (during the day only) and customers start filtering in. They check out relics and denote with visuals whether they think a relic is cheap, perfect, a little high-priced, or outrageously expensive. Anything less than outrageous they will buy, and that will add money to the pool and fill a perk meter and maybe even your tip jar.
There are further tweaks. Adding furniture you collect and buy can enhance prices, add bonuses, or increase perks. You can also buy and collect decorations to make the store look unique and lived-in.
I actually found the shopkeeping part of the game as fun as the main combat and exploration, thanks not only to the pace and planning of the experience but how good the product tracking is. I can easily see what an item sold for, or if it was priced unsuccessfully, to make sales happen quickly and efficiently.
The progression towards the Endless Vault’s unlocking is based on money, as are many of the perks, weapons, item and armor increases, the store component is key, as is finding the best relics possible. This synergy is implemented incredibly well and makes exploring and additional runs not only necessary but enjoyable and fulfilling.
I had an absolute blast playing Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault even in this Early Access release. I hit the wall of new progression, but still went back to solve some side quests and get the last few armor and weapon upgrades crafted.
What developer Digital Sun has done with this game is nothing sort of miraculous. They took a fun game with a neat premise and made it into an epic experience that could stand toe to toe with giants like Hades 2. It is a must-play and I can’t wait to see what they cook up as they work towards a full release in 2026.
We were given a Steam code for review purposes by publisher 11 Bit Studios via the Termials.io platform. Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault is out now in Early Access.
