Moonlighter

 Switch
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 139 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 93 out of 139
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 139
  3. Negative: 12 out of 139
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  1. MartyMcFlyJr
    Nov 26, 2020
    10
    Awesome indie game, had a lot of fun and I liked the combination of having your own store and be an adventurer! I never played the dlc, but It's on my list
  2. kremling_chaos
    Dec 6, 2018
    8
    Fun dungeon crawling, tight mechanics (aside from occasional bugs), great soundtrack / art / atmosphere, and the shopkeeper mechanics is truly a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. The world and characters are super charming! If you ever played Stardew Valley and wished there was more to the mine, this will scratch that oddly specific itch. Would recommend to any fan of dungeonFun dungeon crawling, tight mechanics (aside from occasional bugs), great soundtrack / art / atmosphere, and the shopkeeper mechanics is truly a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. The world and characters are super charming! If you ever played Stardew Valley and wished there was more to the mine, this will scratch that oddly specific itch. Would recommend to any fan of dungeon crawlers.… Expand
  3. wcheehou
    Mar 25, 2019
    8
    Bought the digital copy, a little regret though, since you could resell it if you finished the game.
    But! The details of the game is really great. The movement, control of the character is smooth.
    After the defeat of the 3rd dungeon, you may feel a little repetitive. I have not finished the game but overall, the game is quite enjoyable. Good game to invest on if you like dungeon crawling    Bought the digital copy, a little regret though, since you could resell it if you finished the game.
    But! The details of the game is really great. The movement, control of the character is smooth.
    After the defeat of the 3rd dungeon, you may feel a little repetitive. I have not finished the game but overall, the game is quite enjoyable. Good game to invest on if you like dungeon crawling and with tons of grinding.    … Expand
  4. Wakisashi
    Sep 24, 2019
    8
    Bugs aside--and there were many--I really enjoyed myself in this game. The art style, music, and overall gameplay was very enjoyable. Sure there are certainly things that could be improved, however, at the end of the day, I'm glad I played this title--even with all those challenges. I felt challenged, and rewarded. If the game was patched, I'd easily rate a 9. Certainly will recommend toBugs aside--and there were many--I really enjoyed myself in this game. The art style, music, and overall gameplay was very enjoyable. Sure there are certainly things that could be improved, however, at the end of the day, I'm glad I played this title--even with all those challenges. I felt challenged, and rewarded. If the game was patched, I'd easily rate a 9. Certainly will recommend to friends, however, those expecting a flawless play should probably look elsewhere.… Expand
  5. Dazrok
    Sep 29, 2019
    8
    Moonlighter is a simple game.

    You gain items in the dungeons and sell them in your shop, with the money you make you can upgrade your tools, shop and other items. The dungeon part if fun and great, the shop is a bit more trial and error but when it clicks you can easily make it work. The only thing prevent the game from a 10 is the bugs that occur in the game especially in the dungeons,    Moonlighter is a simple game.

    You gain items in the dungeons and sell them in your shop, with the money you make you can upgrade your tools, shop and other items.

    The dungeon part if fun and great, the shop is a bit more trial and error but when it clicks you can easily make it work.

    The only thing prevent the game from a 10 is the bugs that occur in the game especially in the dungeons, sometimes I had to exit before I even started.

    In general the game is fun but the bugs have to be addressed.    … Expand
  6. Nezz
    Apr 16, 2020
    8
    Really great, interesting and laid back game. Was fun to play. Not too short for me as I do not play often and in short sessions.
  7. jcolin
    Apr 9, 2019
    8
    This was a fun little game, definitely worth the price on sale and if you like this style of game at full price, which is only 20 dollars I believe. The length is not very long, but it does include a new game plus. It has a shopkeeper mechanic sort of like recettear combined with dungeon crawling like the original zelda. I read somewhere that this was an action rpg with stardew valleyThis was a fun little game, definitely worth the price on sale and if you like this style of game at full price, which is only 20 dollars I believe. The length is not very long, but it does include a new game plus. It has a shopkeeper mechanic sort of like recettear combined with dungeon crawling like the original zelda. I read somewhere that this was an action rpg with stardew valley elements. This is absolutely not true, it is nothing like stardew valley. The shopkeeper part is a very important part of the game, but it's fairly simple, as is expanding the town, which only involves paying for new merchants, of which there are 5. The other thing you can do is expand your shop. You can make it bigger, improve your bed, cashregister, storage and add a discount box to your shop. That is everything, so you see, it's hardly rebuilding a town or anything like that. It is still a good game and there are a lot of choices for weapons and armor, which is the only way you get stronger. There are no spellcaster builds, just melee weapons and a bow.… Expand
  8. TheFlannelFox
    Dec 31, 2018
    9
    Moonlighter is a top-down action rpg, where you play as the owner of a store named Moonlighter, whom has a dream to be a hero. To become that hero he embarks on an adventure to clear four dungeons, each one ruled by a deadly boss, each night to find items to sell, monsters to slay, and glory to hold.

    Beginning with only a broom and a small simple shop, you are dropped into the first    Moonlighter is a top-down action rpg, where you play as the owner of a store named Moonlighter, whom has a dream to be a hero. To become that hero he embarks on an adventure to clear four dungeons, each one ruled by a deadly boss, each night to find items to sell, monsters to slay, and glory to hold.

    Beginning with only a broom and a small simple shop, you are dropped into the first dungeon where you’re quickly shown the ropes and learn that when you die in the dungeons you lose ‘all of the items you have collected on that run and are teleported back to town. You are then given a sword and shield to better fight your foes, beginning your journey.

    As you play through each dungeon you collect items that will stock your shop the next day. The deeper in the dungeon that you go, the better loot you’ll find. So when stocking your shelves that night when you get home, you price the items accordingly. The common items lower and the rare items higher, monitoring your customers reactions and trying new price points until you reach that perfect number to keep your popularity at its peak potential. Make sure you don’t overflood the market with certain items as then they won’t be worth as much, the same goes for holding back certain items to supply that demand for them.

    At the end of your sales day you’ll get a full rundown of your sales, and robbery attempts! Yes you thieves will steal your goods, but if you catch them in time you can give them a good walloping and send them on their way.

    The earnings for the day are yours to choose the best way to progress forward. Should you upgrade your shop? Allowing you more spaces to have more items on the sales floor at once or craft that new great sword enabling you to slay more golems to collect higher valued items? The choice is yours and boy is it a satisfying one. Saving up tons of greatly valued items after upgrading my shop space to have a HUGE sales day, then using my 500% increase in profit to enchant my weapons and demolish a dungeon boss is rewarding on so many levels that you have to experience.

    Along with the incredibly rewarding progression is the addictive combat. When inside the dungeons the levels are reminiscent of early gen Zelda games, moving from room to room trying to find the door to the next level of that dungeon.

    The combat consists of a light attack, heavy Zelda like 360 attack, shield block, and if you equip a bow, a ranged attack. Personally I used a great sword for heavier damage and a bow. Also having a dodge roll similar to Enter the Gungeon, where you are invincible during the roll and use it to leap over gaps. Truly giving you the complexity of modern melee games and once you get into a rhythm you’ll be blowing your way through dungeons with ease. A perfect balancing of getting good and upgrading your gear.

    Playing on both the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, they both look fantastic and while experiencing minor bugs on the Nintendo Switch, which I put in much more time on, none of them had serious repercussions. I’d definitely recommend the Switch version, because on planes, trains, and automobiles, you can Moonlight.

    Moonlighter is an absolutely amazing. From the moment I started playing I knew this game was made for someone just like me. The systems of shop keep/base building work so incredibly well with the rogue like dungeon crawling that it’s hard to put down and I can happily recommend it on PlayStation 4 and the Nintendo Switch.    … Expand
  9. Reed618
    Apr 12, 2019
    10
    I just beat it and overall I got to say I had a blast playing it :). It has a very addictive gameplay loop. Raiding dungeons and collecting to sell so I can upgrade weapons, armor, the shop and my town... I got completely lost in it.
    It's not a perfect game. I think the combat doesn't really stand out and the dungeon bosses aren't that tough, some of them felt easier than regular enemies.    I just beat it and overall I got to say I had a blast playing it :). It has a very addictive gameplay loop. Raiding dungeons and collecting to sell so I can upgrade weapons, armor, the shop and my town... I got completely lost in it.
    It's not a perfect game. I think the combat doesn't really stand out and the dungeon bosses aren't that tough, some of them felt easier than regular enemies.
    But I found it to be so much fun overall and as I got it on sale for less than twenty bucks... totally worth it. 15 hours well spent :).
    Definitely worth a look and I got to say it's one of my top switch indies now.    … Expand
  10. katpjs
    Dec 20, 2018
    8
    I very much enjoyed Moonlighter. Overall, the dungeon crawling mechanic tugged at me to play and I loved and still love every second of it. The graphics are bitty and wonderful and the side job of running your own shop in addition to the dungeon exploration makes this a charming and appealing experience.

    My only complaint is there could be some minor optimizations made to the game.    I very much enjoyed Moonlighter. Overall, the dungeon crawling mechanic tugged at me to play and I loved and still love every second of it. The graphics are bitty and wonderful and the side job of running your own shop in addition to the dungeon exploration makes this a charming and appealing experience.

    My only complaint is there could be some minor optimizations made to the game. During my 20-25 hours playing thus far, the game has crashed no less than 3-4 times all during points where I was in a dungeon with a ton of hard-earned booty. Additionally, there have been glitches of walking through a door and the character not following and being stuck in the other screen, a dungeon becoming unplayable as it instantly progressed to the boss room every time I entered the third floor, and an unkillable monster that I was stuck in a room with (thank god for the pendant, am I right?).

    Overall though, this game is worth the buy. There is no ceasing of my enjoyment in this title and I highly recommend!    … Expand
  11. brently
    Jan 4, 2019
    10
    Bought this on Steam then when it was released on Switch I bought it again. It's just an amazing game for casual play and is perfect for the Switch. Also great for 30 min lunch breaks.
  12. GabFire
    Aug 10, 2020
    8
    É um jogo muito bom e que faz você viciar com sua jogatina, eu nem cansei de jogar e ainda tenho vontade de repetir.
  13. sircastro
    Feb 9, 2020
    8
    Moonlighter presents a good balance of and action packed binding of isaacish game and a chill store simulator where you're figuring out what's worth selling or not to the townspeople interested in some alien crap, I guess...

    Gameplaywise, -- The game rogue-like dungeons feel like a fair challenge. You are always learning something, even in deaths. The bosses can be hard to beat, but    Moonlighter presents a good balance of and action packed binding of isaacish game and a chill store simulator where you're figuring out what's worth selling or not to the townspeople interested in some alien crap, I guess...

    Gameplaywise,
    -- The game rogue-like dungeons feel like a fair challenge. You are always learning something, even in deaths. The bosses can be hard to beat, but eventually, you'll breeze past them once you figure out their moves.
    -- The antique store simulator is an interest excuse to read a bit of the lore, figure out what items should be stored away for weapon upgrades (there are a lot a those here) and which are just junk you'll sell for money.

    Over my gameplay, i only felt frustrated a couple of times when the game wouldn't register my commands and i'd die stupidly on the last floor of the dungeon. And the pace of the game might feel a bit too slow due to the grinding you are encouraged to do in order to get some decent gear.

    I would normally do several 2 to 3 hours sessions each time, and that worked perfectly as I was drawn to play a couple of runs every day after work. Simple mechanics, simple game, great time killer.

    Story - there is pretty much no story here. Enter the dungeon, kill the creatures and don't care about the unimportant characters. You should be good to go!

    Nice game overall,a decent 8/10.    … Expand
  14. Alberto_Rahl
    Mar 4, 2020
    8
    No lo veo como un juego para pasarte horas y horas seguidas jugándolo pero si como uno al que juegas cuando te atascas en otro o solo tienes unos minutos libres.

    Moonlighter encuentra su sitio perfecto en la switch. Parecen estar hecho el uno para el otro.
  15. Theobaer
    Feb 17, 2022
    10
    Oh my what a game. It's super addictive. Plenty of fun. Beautifully crafted, with a superb and lovely animated pixel look. Just the right game for oldschool Zelda fans who love to raid dungeons and to upgrade their stuff. Can't wait for it's successor. When on sale, make sure to grab the complete edition - it's a steal. Really!

    Room for improvement: - rare bugs that force you to leave    Oh my what a game. It's super addictive. Plenty of fun. Beautifully crafted, with a superb and lovely animated pixel look. Just the right game for oldschool Zelda fans who love to raid dungeons and to upgrade their stuff. Can't wait for it's successor. When on sale, make sure to grab the complete edition - it's a steal. Really!

    Room for improvement:
    - rare bugs that force you to leave the dungeon (sometimes, it's just delayed loading)
    - super rare bug that force you to restart the game (unsaved progress will be lost)
    - can't freely remap all the keys without breaking the game (primary attack has to stay on a)
    - your employee is not able to process orders on time without you, even if you leave the goods in stock.    … Expand
  16. Akatsuki7
    Jan 25, 2022
    10
    I love the aspect of defeating enemies and then selling their parts when you open your shop. Such a fun game with amazing art style and good graphics. The game is smooth and always a blast to go through all the dungeons.
  17. Lightning6
    Sep 3, 2022
    10
    Awesome and fun game. I just finished the game and the DLC and I had a blast.
    Overall, beautiful game, nice story with a twist a the end and awesome soundtracks.
  18. kolebear
    Jun 8, 2021
    8
    i kinda like this game it's something i can wast my time on when i'm board
    sure the game is hard and it can fill me with rage but it's good and chill
    and i think it's a like undermine with animal crossing mixed in with persona 5 and the weapons feel like botw
    so yeah i think this game is good 8/10 pretty good
  19. chosen0ne
    Sep 22, 2021
    10
    I love this indie game. It's such an interesting, novel idea to run your own shop after you explore the dungeon. The gameplay loop is so well-designed and addictive. I'm always saying "just one more run through this dungeon and then bed".
  20. stashy
    Feb 7, 2022
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Playtime: ~30h

    Moonlighter was my first Rogue-lite on the Switch and after playing others i can say that it has a special place in my heart. it's very arcade like and not much of a story game but it fits perfectly. you just want to play one more round. it's very addicting and rewarding. it has a certain feel to it that other games in the genre can't touch.

    pros:
    + the graphics are beautiful
    + blend between clearing dungeons + shopkeeping is never boring
    + mechanics feel polished
    + very good for casual rounds
    + difficulty is perfect (u can leave a dungeon sell stuff and come back to it for some money)
    + very good learning curve and dodge system (it just feels right)

    cons:
    + not many perma upgrades of town and gear (i miss that in this game)
    + npcs are boring and useless
    + after playing through the main game the dlc seems not that exciting and new (maybe ill pick it up again)
    + cant battle bosses again in a playthrough

    even though there are some cons they dont carry much weight. its fun anyways. i picked it up on sale for 7 bucks and have good memories about the game.    … Expand
  21. Lubot378
    Mar 31, 2022
    9
    I absolutely adored moonlighter I found the game simple yet compelling. I find myself easily lost in most dungeon crawling rpgs however for me moonlight was easy to just pick up and play for a few hours. Everything else has already been said by other reviews. That being said the only complaint I have is that the controls were a bit janky then again this was probably the fault of my switchI absolutely adored moonlighter I found the game simple yet compelling. I find myself easily lost in most dungeon crawling rpgs however for me moonlight was easy to just pick up and play for a few hours. Everything else has already been said by other reviews. That being said the only complaint I have is that the controls were a bit janky then again this was probably the fault of my switch and not the game.
    All in all moonlighter is an incredulously fun rpg with simple mechanics, captivating lore and an addictive shop system. I highly recommend this game and it’s dlc    … Expand
  22. PacoBN23
    Apr 25, 2023
    8
    Uno de los mejores roguelike que he jugado. Su mecánica de comercio está muy bien implementada y su apartado gráfico es muy bonito. Por otro lado, la sensación de progresión es muy satisfactoria, por lo que engancha desde el minuto 1. Muy recomendado.
  23. chocoway
    Apr 14, 2023
    8
    I had like 60 hours of game time on this game. The dungeon items and moonlighter shop mechanic was fun. Add it with a good story and beautiful pixel art. it was a great game for me. Experienced some bugs. still i had a good time playing this game
  24. BagelTCG
    Jun 15, 2023
    10
    This is the perfect version of every genre it touches, from shop-running farming-sim type games to dungeon crawler rogue-like.

Awards & Rankings

52
#52 Best Switch Game of 2018
39
#39 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
91
#91 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
83

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. Nintendo Force Magazine
    Aug 28, 2019
    80
    Link may never get a night job. But Will has, and his insomnia makes for a great idea for a game! [Issue #39 – May/June 2019, p. 73]
  2. IGN Japan
    Apr 29, 2019
    80
    Moonlighter is a game that has you experience the life of a hero and a shopkeeper at the same time. You fight enemies to obtain items at a dungeon, and go on to sell these at your shop, allowing you to buy better armor. The gorgeous graphics enhance the experience and the gameplay loop is great. The game could have offered more to do and the story is a bit simple, but it’s an enjoyable ride nonetheless.
    Read full review
  3. Cubed3
    Dec 28, 2018
    90
    In spite of an ending that arrives too soon, Moonlighter manages to offer an engaging balance of commerce and action up to the very end.
    Read full review
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