Moonlighter – not-so-peaceful life of a shopkeeper. RPGs you might have wrongly skipped

• The Best Obscure RPGs - 2022 Update
• Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book
• Regalia: Of Men And Monarchs
• Masquerada: Songs and Shadows – a triple-A indie
• A House of Many Doors – an RPG from another dimension
• Expeditions: Viking
• Moonlighter – not-so-peaceful life of a shopkeeper
• Vaporum – a steampunk Grimrock
• Tower of Time – a heir of Baldur
• Valkyria Chronicles 4 – war in the Japanese version
• Druidstone – tactical RPG from the fathers of Grimrock series
• Octopath Traveler – a breath of fresh air in jRPG
• Sunless Skies – a train through fantasy outerspace
• Broken Lines – World War II in the form of a tactical RPG
• Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark - a worthy continuation of the Final Fantasy Tactics tradition
• Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk – there's no end to games and laughter

Moonlighter – not-so-peaceful life of a shopkeeper

If this list was created thirteen years ago, it would no doubt include a game called Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale. Now, we gladly recommend a production that can be defined as the spiritual heir of this gem.

The game Moonlighter was developed by the Spanish team Moonlighter, and released by the Polish 11-bit studios. At first glance, these games look like action RPG-oriented titles from the era of 16-bit consoles, such as Secret of Mana. We have a top-down perspective, fantastic realities and a colorful, piexel-art graphics in retro style. This is complemented by complex economy mechanics.

The player controls a young shopkeeper who runs a business in a city located near a portal that's leading to other worlds. During the game, we have to both manage the store and go on dangerous expeditions... from which we will return with new merchandise.

Playing Moonlighter feels fantastic, as both these aspects were implemented with mastery. The combat system is dynamic and quite extensive. To win, we have to learn enemy behavior patterns, use surrounding elements and spell abilities.

In the store, you need to choose the right range of products to offer, determine their prices, hire assistants and expand the establishment. The economic model is not simple, and achieving success in balancing costs and revenues is a major challenge. In addition, we can meet other residents of the city and help them in starting their own businesses, which gives us access to additional services.

All this, in general, consists in a very pleasant game able to devour hundreds of hours. Some players complain about the repeatability, but judging by the Steam players estimates, they constitute the minority.