Hands-off impressions: Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault aims for endless roguelikeability

I enjoyed my time with Moonlighter on the Nintendo Switch back in the day, even if it was a bit buggy, as it worked as a then-unique merge of genres. The original released almost seven years ago on PC proposing a different take on dungeon-crawling roguelikes by introducing a shop management component, and since then the Valencia-based studio has matured a whole lot, for instance delivering The Mageseeker: A League of Legends Story for Riot Games, or trying out new things with the very recent and successful Cataclismo, which already surpassed 250,000 sold copies after just a couple of weeks on the market.

But now it is time to go back to its roots. We had an extended look at how Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault is shaping up during the Xbox Developer Session EMEA last week, where we saw several studios from the region showing their respective games, all of them looking honestly good already.

The most striking news about the game, as shown by its first trailers, is that they've gone full 3D this time around. I (and many of the original fans) loved the delicate 2D pixel art of the original, but this one demonstrates a significant effort to try and keep the soul intact. Although we don't know how much polish it'll get until it releases in a TBA date sometime later this year, it looks beautiful already, and the isometric view feels familiar for those coming from Hades and the likes. And same as with the original, it's the little cute details full of personality which make it stand out differently.

The biggest emphasis with the sequel, however, is not about visuals, but gameplay. Where the devs defined the first Moonlighter as "an ARPG with roguelike elements", they now want full rogulikeability to permeate all aspects of The Endless Vault, even transcending the dungeons so that "everything changes with every run", as comms manager Israel Mallén explained during the hands-off demo.

"Hands-off" is the only caveat here, as going more varied, more complex, and more random in every single aspect of the game means balance is much more complicated, and I'm already looking forward to playing Moonlighter 2 to check out both how it feels and whether too bold variation can actually break it.

On paper, even if the gameplay loop with randomised dungeon crawling versus shopkeeping remains similar, the "we're bringing it to a new dimension of quality and ambition" means several things. There are different areas set in unique biomes, such as the starting town Tresna, the arid Houtu, or the windy/grassy Aeolia. Weapons (the trusty broom is back, plus there are spears and swords), gadgets, and enemies also force you to combine and switch combat styles from ranged to CQC and back, then bosses such as Herald will put it to the test to see if you're quick enough with all this and the dodges and parries on top, if you are to grab the big treasure.

The game changers inside the roguelike dungeons are the Perks, "in-run effects that can increase Will's power and unlock new abilities". Again, at least by how it sounds, it's a neat new idea that could break the previously-monotonous pace for the better, while backpack management, where now you can see the base value of relics, always keeps your brains busy beyond combat and exploration.

Likewise, back at the shop you'll now find special effects to potentially change the outcome of the deals you can get when it comes to selling the loot you bring back from your expeditions. Even though this is the cosy side of the game, it'll be interesting to see how exciting it can get with selling streaks and skyrocketing profits.

Once again you'll control loveable, white-haired Will and meet some new and old friends (such as Andrei the blacksmith and Eris the witch), and while this second game will sport a deeper lore and answer more questions, it really looks like a more modern and comprehensive entry for both newcomers and fans of the original. Now we only need to know when the shop will open its doors!