Review - Moonlighter ... Loot n' Scoot

 

Image courtesy of Digital Sun

Retro never really goes out of style, does it?

    This is evident in the clothes people wear, the music they listen to, the movies they throw on, and the notion has even pervaded the games we play. Moonlighter is a great example of a retro-style game developed in the last several years that fills that retro niche so many people look for. Others that have come out to great success in recent years would be Children of Morta or Sea of Stars. All three of these games tackle different elements of the same void, but with their similarities it could easily be said that the latter two were the games that turned my head towards trying Moonlighter.

    Moonlighter is a little adventure roguelike where the protagonist, Will, heads to the dungeons near his hometown ever night. It's in these caverns that Will moonlights as an adventurer, gathering loot and exploring the secrets of these dangerous chambers so that he can come back to the surface in the day to sell them to the townsfolk and travelers. Each run plays out in much the same way, with randomly generated dungeons that have different tiers of loot. This doesn't just factor into your selling practices, initially just tossing away items for mere handfuls of cash to eventually grow to selling individual pieces for tens of thousands. There's also a gear component. If you want to upgrade what you have, Will has to wishlist these items so that he can hunt for them specifically in the various dungeons. All of this is a culminating experience meant to lead Will to the fifth and final chamber where the true secrets lie, but will you have the fortitude and/or patience to get there?

The Good

The art style is great. Pixels may be a bit of a turn-off for many gamers who are used to the ultra-realism of so many games crowding the market today, but it should be noted that Moonlighter chooses to do something interesting instead. Is it easier? Surely. But is it something that you see every day? Surely not.

    One of the best things that Moonlighter has going for it is in the shop keeping aspect. This also ties into a town building piece that is important for expanding the overall success of Rynoka and its citizens. The shop can be expanded, decorated, and built up in ways that will help Will's exploration. You can even hire an assistant to sell your loot while you're gone, if you're willing to take a 30% cut. As for me, I used her a couple of times, but it was too tempting to turn my loot into hundreds of thousands in a day. And there's not much more satisfying than tackling a thief in the shop before they can make it out the door with some item, then selling it at an upcharge along with a 100% tip. Gimme the loot, baby.

    Sound in the game is also an incredible selling point. The score is made by David Fenn, and he does not disappoint in ensuring that each piece is specific to the individuality of the dungeons. Each dungeon, from stone or forest to desert and tech, has a distinct flavor and feel. Fenn does the same with the songs, here. Music is so important for a game's tone, especially a game as simple as Moonlighter.

The Bad

Unfortunately, I do feel like the combat in the game is lacking. It's there, but you can truly hack n' slash your way through any foe to get to the next room. Even if you're down in health a bit, just buy a couple potions and you'll be just fine. There are only a few different types of weapons, as well. These can lose their luster pretty quickly in comparison to other games that just frankly do it better. Children of Morta is one such a game that while every character has their own weapon type, they have variations in their combat that keep things engaging and entertaining through the entire playthrough. Moonlighter took me around 18 hours of gameplay, and I was ready to be done around that mark. At least it didn't overstay its welcome.

    Another issue I took with the game had to do with the story. It could have done a bit more with the lore that Digital Sun set up. There is a story, don't get me wrong, but it's peppered in with moments so few and far between you'll hardly notice or care what's going on in Will's world. And I understand that the point of games like Moonlighter isn't necessarily to revolve around the narrative... but if it's in there, then Digital Sun put it in there for a reason. Pull more out for your audience. Pull more out for yourselves.

The Loot

There might be some gold and silver in this loot, but it's hard to say that the whole thing is a hidden gem. It had its moments where I wondered if I was going to consider it one... but ultimately I couldn't justify calling it thus. The combat is half the battle, literally, so it can't quite climb to a glorious status for me. It's worth a playthrough, especially since you'll likely be able to grab it at a major discount now that it's roughly seven years old, but I doubt that you'll be sitting there afterwards pining for the sequel.

7/10

Good Enough

If you're interested in hidden gems that you can probably get for cheap, check out my review for Asterigos.