Moonlighter

Who would have thought that the classic action-RPG would be revitalized by the typically boring prospect of running a small business? Diving into procedurally generated dungeons and slaying beasts with every manner of weapon answers the question, “What would a 2D version of Breath of the Wild look and play like?” Well, sort of like Moonlighter.

I’m not completely calling these issues dealbreakers, particularly since the good stuff carries much more worth than the bad. Moonlighter is one of those titles that just sort of ended up making me okay with its contrivances and keep playing for a pretty long while. In fact, just thinking about it as I write this is making me want to fire it up again, so it absolutely is under my skin.

The beauty of Moonlighter is how seamlessly it bends dungeon-crawling with a store simulator. Every action you take, whether it be in the dungeons collecting materials or in your shop earning gold to spend on upgrades, helps to move you further along towards your end goal. There were a few technical hiccups that cropped up from time to time and the last few upgrades needed a bit of grinding to unlock.