Juggling your duties while pursuing your passions is no easy task. Too frequently, many fall into mundane routines due to the nagging nature of stability. Days turn into years and nostalgic passions become remorsefully longed for. Released this week, Moonlighter is an indie action RPG that shows a path where you can work hard to fulfill both your obligations and calling.
Developed by Digital Sun Games and published by 11 bit studios (the creators of Frostpunk), Moonlighter is wonderful blend of rogue-lite action with Stardew Valley-esque simulation. Per the game’s website:
During an archeological excavation – a set of Gates were discovered. People quickly realized that these ancient passages lead to different realms and dimensions. Rynoka, a small commercial village, was found near the excavation site – providing brave and reckless adventurers with treasures beyond measure.
Moonlighter is an Action RPG with rogue-lite elements that demonstrates two sides of the coin – revealing everyday routines of Will, an adventurous shopkeeper that secretly dreams of becoming a hero.
Day and night cycles work as a clever mirror to the game’s theme. During the day, players keep shop and fulfill Will’s duties of keeping shop and providing for incoming and outgoing adventurers as well as the local townsfolk. Once night hits, players travel through the Gates to vividly different dimensions. Through rogue-lite dungeon crawling, players journey to slay enemies and acquire loot that can be sold back at shop.
Simply put, the pixel art for this game stands out beautifully. The designs of townsfolk and enemies alike portray great individualistic essence. Animations are superbly executed and really make the 2D stages pop. Additionally, great skill comes out with their use of quick fully-pixelated cutscenes that provide telling portraits of the main character.
With Moonlighter being their first full-fledged release, the folks at Digital Sun Games have produced a real gem. The game first showed great promise after astonishingly reaching its initial $40,000 funding goal on Kickstarter within 51 hours of it being announced back in 2016. Clearly, the developers provided a distinct vision for what they wanted to accomplish and were able to draw in many fans right from the start.
Moonlighter is currently priced at $19.99 and is available now for Mac and PC on Steam, the Humble Store, and GOG. Console players can also join the fun on Playstation 4 and Xbox One.