Moonlighter, the 2018 indie hit that blends roguelite dungeon crawling with shopkeeping, is free to claim on Steam through Aug. 9. Developer Digital Sun and publisher 11 bit Studios are running the giveaway to celebrate the approaching release of Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault.
In Moonlighter, players control Will, a shopkeeper in the village of Rynoka who spends his nights exploring procedurally generated dungeons for loot and his days selling that loot in his shop, pricing items by hand and reading customer reactions to maximize profit. The game has often been compared to Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale for its mix of management sim and dungeon crawling. Since its original launch, Digital Sun has added new bosses, companions, more than 100 additional room layouts, new equipment, expanded lore, quality-of-life improvements, and a New Game+ mode.
Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault has been in early access since last fall and is set to launch in full on Sept. 2. The sequel moves to isometric 3D combat and, according to PC Gamer's preview, draws noticeable inspiration from Hades in its combat and in how the hub town of Tresna functions much like Hades' House of Hades or The Crossroads. The sequel also shifts away from the original's Binding of Isaac-style dungeon layouts toward FTL- and Slay the Spire-influenced node selection, while still retaining a town full of characters to get to know, drawing comparisons to Stardew Valley as well.
The 1.0 release will add a conclusion to the game's story, new weapons and armor, and a new Bomb path ability that makes enemies explode. Moonlighter 2 has been available in early access on Windows PC and Xbox Series X, and its full launch will bring it to Nintendo Switch 2 and PlayStation 5 as well. A demo is currently available on Steam for those interested in trying the sequel before it fully releases.
Polygon's early access review of Moonlighter 2, credited to Johnny Yu, praised the game for expanding on the original's formula with deeper combat, a vibrant 3D world, and more rewarding progression, while noting there was still room for refinement before the full launch. The game has reportedly earned around 1,200 "Very Positive" player reviews on Steam during its early access period.
Moonlighter 2's 1.0 launch arrives amid a packed release period, with titles including Resonance: A Plague Legacy and Star Wars Zero Company also launching in late August, followed by The Blood of Dawnwalker, Orbitals, and Onimusha: Way of the Sword the following week, and further releases such as Marvel's Wolverine, Control: Resonant, and Silent Hill: Townfall expected in September.