Moonlighter Torrent is an action game developed by Digital Sun and published by 11 Bit Studios. Moonlighter is the unexpected crossroads between a roguelike dungeon crawler and a shop simulation, a blend reminiscent of Recettear, the 2010 indie game from Japan that originally brought this fusion to prominence. Will, the main character and proprietor of Moonlighter, dedicates his days to managing his store and his nights to exploring the procedurally generated dungeons in the town.
A town elder named Zenon predictably advises Will against his heroic aspirations, urging him to stay focused on making a living. My perspective? Follow your passion, Will! Pursue your dreams and don’t let a traditionalist dictate that you’re bound to a lifetime in customer service!
Will’s ambition involves unlocking the fifth dungeon door in his hometown, Rynoka, by acquiring four keys held by colossal monsters in the basements of four distinct dungeons. Each day revolves around two primary objectives: adventuring and merchandising. When night falls, I delve into one of the four themed dungeons, starting with the golem dungeon and progressing with each boss defeat.
The foes on each floor have attack patterns that I quickly grasp, but tracking them becomes more challenging as ranged beam attacks intersect with the rhythmic movements of golem soldiers swinging swords. I stumble occasionally but seldom face fatal consequences.
Despite the daily roguelike generation of each dungeon, they consist of only three floors before confronting the boss, a prolonged battle requiring recognition and anticipation of a series of perilous attacks. The three-floor structure alleviates the stress of death, with demise at the boss’s threshold resulting in a setback of only 10 to 20 minutes.
The combat itself is swift but not chaotic. Each room demands a brief evaluation to determine the priority target. I alternate between evading attacks with rolls and swiftly approaching to dispatch enemies with my spear. Rooms featuring a mix of ranged and melee adversaries require additional evasion or strategic positioning behind rocks and obstacles to eliminate sword-wielders first.
While Moonlighter supports keyboard input, it recommends a controller for precision – a suggestion I endorse. Maneuvering efficiently around the room is central to combat, and I feel a sense of accomplishment when I manage to roll and outmaneuver monsters without sustaining any damage.
One of Moonlighter Torrent’s standout features initially dismissed as a gimmick, is its inventory management system. With limited space in my bag, deciding which items to prioritize and bring back to the shop becomes crucial. Beyond the standard inventory Tetris, various item curses dictate specific placements in the bag or introduce effects on nearby items.
For instance, one curse sends an item adjacent to it back to the shop immediately after placement, while others may destroy or transform neighboring items. Successfully clearing half my inventory through strategic curse utilization brings a sense of pride, and disrupting a well-planned layout feels more tragic than the resulting loss of profit.
Moonlighter Torrent System Requirements
- OS: Windows 7/8/10/11
- Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 2.7 GHz
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: GeForce GTX 260, Radeon HD 5770
- Storage: 4 GB available space
