The Indie Informer

“Rise and shine, little merchant.” These words heralded the reveal of a Moonlighter sequel earlier this year. And while fans of the indie gem exploded with the news, there wasn’t much information in the initial trailer — the obvious 2D-to-3D aesthetic aside. Happily, the Moonlighter 2 devs were able to show just a little more of the anticipated title recently.

The team confronted the graphical elephant in the room head-on right off the bat. Why the new look? Well, developer Digital Sun explains going 3D will open up a ton of new possibilities not only for the visuals but also for gameplay. Watching our hero running around Tresna, the game’s fresh setting, I can see some of that come through as he can explore even more than before.

While they didn’t dive too deeply into the narrative setup, I learned that protagonist Will has become stranded in the new land while on one of his adventures, cut off from his previous base of operations. The brave new world, however, looks stunning. Its grassy fields billow spectacularly in the wind and its urban center appears bustling with life.

Despite the differences, the devs want to reassure players that the series’ charm will remain firmly intact. We will even see some returning characters, like the blacksmith Andrei and the witch Eris. The loop will also be familiar. Will settles into the new town, opens a shop, and stocks it with loot from his escapades.

Stepping through a shimmering portal transports our hero to ever-changing dungeons. Enemies present up-close and ranged danger – and we are able to respond in kind with implements ranging from the trusty broom to a spear to special gadgets. Now, after clearing a level, players may find a perk, which can boost Will’s power or unlock new abilities. Looting and inventory management take on fun dimensions as some items affect the others placed next to them in your pack. You’ll also be able to see the base value of each relic before setting it up in your shop.

This preview eventually ran into the fork in the road well-known to veteran Moonlighter players: Do we cut and run with our treasures or risk it all by heading into a fight? We got to see the latter. The Herald boss lobbed deadly missiles at Will while protecting itself with a purple barrier. It doesn’t look like the barrier keeps out its own weaponry, though, as a quick flick of an unexploded bomb sends the projectile straight at the enemy.

An unnamed boss shown later was more like a swirling tornado bullet hell. Dodging until there was an opening was the name of the game here. Of course, that only makes it angry. The enraged creature summons a line of industrial fans which do their best to sweep Will off the floating arena to certain doom.

If you can get back to your shop with the goods, unlocking your doors offers unique benefits. Players will get access to special effects for the store itself that will help increase your profit every time you open — a mechanic the team likened to the new perk system in the dungeons.

While we still don’t have a release date and there are plenty of details I’m still eager to learn, that’s all we get for now. Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault is slated to release this year, so more is certainly on the way soon.