Deal | Just $2 on Steam sale: “highly motivating” dungeon crawler with a double-life twist
Moonlighter is an action RPG with roguelite elements, developed by Spanish studio Digital Sun and released in May 2018 by 11 bit studios. The game follows Will, a seemingly ordinary shopkeeper in the peaceful village of Rynoka. But there's more to him than meets the eye. By day, he runs his store; by night, he steps through mysterious portals into strange worlds, battling monsters and collecting rare loot to sell back home – always driven by one question: what lies behind the final locked portal?
Moonlighter blends two core gameplay elements: dungeon crawling and shopkeeping. At night, Will ventures into randomly generated dungeons filled with enemies, traps and valuable loot. Combat is real-time, demanding quick reflexes and smart gear choices. By day, he sells the items he collects to locals and wandering adventurers. Pricing is a delicate balance – set it too high and you’ll drive customers away, too low and you’ll lose out on profits. Earnings aren't just for show: they can be used to upgrade the shop, attract new merchants to town, or enhance your equipment for deeper, more dangerous runs.
Reviews: Fun gameplay loop, but shallow story
In a review by the German gaming outlet GameStar, Moonlighter earned praise as a "highly motivating dungeon crawler." Testers highlighted its engaging gameplay loop, which keeps players hooked for the long haul. The charming pixel art, fluid animations and atmospheric soundtrack were also noted as strong points. However, the game's weak storyline and lack of meaningful character development were seen as drawbacks, making it difficult to form an emotional connection with the protagonist or NPCs. Despite these flaws, GameStar awarded the game a solid score of 84 out of 100.
Moonlighter has received strong feedback on Steam, boasting over 15,000 reviews with a "Very Positive" average rating of 82%. On Metacritic, the reception is a bit more reserved: critics gave it a Metascore of 74, while players mirrored that sentiment with a User Score of 7.4. The lower scores on Metacritic are largely due to the game’s limited narrative depth and lack of character development.
90% discount on Steam
On Steam, gamers usually pay around $20 for Moonlighter, but until June 23 it's 90% off – bringing the price down to roughly $2. However, SteamDB shows that an even better deal was available back in August 2024, when the roguelite RPG was on sale for just $0.81 at 97% off. So if you're patient, you might snag it for even less in the future.
By the way: Moonlighter 2 is still slated for release in 2025, and a demo is already available – so you can get a taste of the sequel right now.
Disclaimer: Notebookcheck is not responsible for price changes carried out by retailers. The discounted price or deal mentioned in this item was available at the time of writing and may be subject to time restrictions and/or limited unit availability.
Source(s)
