admin Moonlighter 2 is finally here! Well, at least partially. As we note in our Moonlighter 2 review, this initial release is in early access. While it’s loaded with plenty to do as you roguelike your way to shopkeeping success, there’s plenty of updates to come before the dungeon-delving adventure is considered finished. If only there was some way to discover some games like Moonlighter 2 you could be playing right now…
Oh, wait, there is! Though Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault combines a range of mechanics in unique ways – clearing dungeons via roguelike progression, organizing oodles of loot, and selling items to villagers – plenty of other great games have impressed us with a similar mix. There are loads of features in Moonlighter 2 that have hooked us already, but whether for you that’s the roguelike action, or the shopkeeping, we have some recommendations you won’t want to miss. Stick here, and discover some superb games like Moonlighter 2.
5. Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale
Developer: EasyGameStation
Platform(s): PC
Capitalism, ho! I was originally obsessed with this action RPG about stocking your own shop back when Steam didn’t have a lot of anime styled games at all. With its loop that merges stocking your shop back home with customized prices and journeying through dungeons to nab loot – all while trying to pay off a loan – I couldn’t help but think of Recettear even when the first Moonlighter came out. Playing its loop straight, the dungeoneering is way more grindy (though you can recruit different adventurers), and there’s certainly no roguelike structure here, but that simplicity can be a plus depending on what you’re in the mood for. You can also just straight up buy and sell items as well, meaning Recettear can also lean more heavily into the shop-only experience.
4. Bastion
Developer: Supergiant Games
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch
Moonlighter 2’s stylistic shift away from the top-down pixel art of the first game means it’s hard to not see a resemblance in the white haired will and the hero of Bastion, Hades-developer Supergiant Games’ debut landmark adventure. If smashing through levels in Moonlighter 2 is your favorite thing to do, then that’s what Bastion is all about as you fight through a series of hand-designed levels (this isn’t a roguelike). Like Moonlighter 2, there’s even a range of radically different weapons to try your hand at. With a gorgeous painterly style, and excellent narration that feels reactive to your journey, Bastion is still a stone cold classic.
3. Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian
Developer: Gust, Team Ninja
Platform(s): PC, PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch
Most Atelier games fit the bill, but Atelier Resleriana: The Red Alchemist & The White Guardian brought this long-running JRPG series’ shopkeeping elements back to the fore once again. These charming and cozy adventures are about friendship and improving your witchy craft of alchemy. Setting out with your party to gather ingredients from plants to monster parts, you bring them back to your atelier to boil them down into recipes – the stronger you get, the more item recipes you uncover, and the higher quality you can create. The latest Atelier Resleriana has you helping to improve town recovery efforts by putting some of those items up for sale, with your squad of fairy pals helping you out as shop assistants.
2. Hades 2
Developer: Supergiant Games
Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch
1. Stardew Valley
Developer: ConcernedApe
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox One, PS Vita, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, Mobile
After 2 roguelikes, an acclaimed strategy game, and a League of Legends spin-off all in just 7 years, the Moonlighter 2 devs explain how new ideas are key to their survival.
