Moonlighter is an action RPG that combines elements of dungeon crawlers, roguelikes, and simulation games.
The game was published by 11bit studios, while its development was handled by the Spanish studio Digital Sun Games, which gained recognition in the market thanks to Moonlighter.
Moonlighter is not only an incredibly enjoyable adventure but also an engaging gameplay loop. Unfortunately, like most excellent games, it has one major drawback… it ends (according to many players, far too quickly).
Fortunately, we know of several alternative games that can soothe your sorrow. Ready? Let’s go! Here is the list of games like Moonlighter!
Similarities Criteria
In this single-player title, we assume the role of Will — a humble shopkeeper who dreams of becoming a hero. At night, after closing the shop, he sneaks into dungeons to fight monsters. He sells the artefacts he acquires in the shop and uses the money for his development, aiming to fulfil his dream in the future.
In the game, Will has various weapons, armour, rings, magical scrolls, etc. — everything a decent RPG character should be equipped with. The dungeons he visits, as befitting a roguelike, are randomly generated. Fortunately (or unfortunately), the game doesn’t feature another characteristic of this subgenre, which is permanent death. However, it doesn’t mean that we die without consequences. The penalty for failure is being sent back to the beginning of the level and losing most of the loot.
As mentioned earlier, the loot obtained in the dungeons can be sold in Will’s shop, and the money earned can be used for development, specifically for upgrading weapons or armour. Interestingly, this is the only character development available in the game, as there is no standard levelling system.
It is probably this unconventional approach of the creators and the breath of fresh air that Moonlighter brought to the RPG world that has led many players to seek alternatives to this game. With these players in mind, we have prepared a list where you will find similar games in various aspects, such as gameplay style, atmosphere, or graphics.
| Game | Release | Genre | Developer | Trailer | |
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 | Crawl | 2017-04-11 | Action & Shooter | Powerhoof | |
 | The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth | 2014-11-04 | Action & Shooter | Nicalis, Inc. | |
 | Enter the Gungeon | 2016-04-05 | Adventure | Dodge Roll | |
 | Dead Cells | 2017-05-10 | Action & Shooter | Motion Twin | |
 | Legend of Keepers: Career of a Dungeon Manager | 2021-04-29 | Turn-Based Combat | Goblinz Studio | |
 | Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos | 2021-02-23 | Action | Heliocentric Studios | |
 | Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale | 2010-09-10 | Indie | EasyGameStation | |
 | Cult of the Lamb | 2022-08-11 | Base Building | Massive Monster | |
 | Children of Morta | 2019-09-01 | Adventure | Dead Mage | |
 | Wizard of Legend | 2018-05-15 | Indie | Contingent99 |
Cult of the Lamb
| Release date: | 2022-08-11 |
| Genre: | Base Building |
| Developer: | Massive Monster |
The game’s story begins quite interestingly. The titular hero is to be sacrificed by the bishops of the old faith, but just in time, a mysterious figure appears, freeing the lamb and endowing it with miraculous power, which attracts a crowd of followers. In return, the hero must establish a cult and recruit new believers.
In this case, similarities are not difficult to find, as Cult of the Lamb presents the same type of game as Moonlighter, namely roguelike. The maps in the COTL world are randomly generated, just like in Moonlighter.
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Crawl
| Release date: | 2017-04-11 |
| Genre: | Action & Shooter |
| Developer: | Powerhoof |
Crawl is a twisted game where the main hero (you) runs through dungeons, fighting monsters, while friends you invite to play take control of the monsters attacking you. Your death means a role reversal for the one who killed you.
Crawl is not only a roguelike game and dungeon crawler like Moonlighter, but also features old-school pixel graphics (particularly enjoyed by older players), which also delighted us in Moonlighter.
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Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale
| Release date: | 2010-09-10 |
| Genre: | Indie |
| Developer: | EasyGameStation |
Recette Lemongrass is the daughter of an adventurer. An adventurer who didn’t quite succeed and, instead of riches, accumulated a considerable amount of debt.
Fearing the creditors, the father fled the city, leaving his problems to his daughter. Desperate to pay off her father’s debts, Recette transforms the family home into a shop, but to obtain supplies, she must traverse dangerous dungeons with her friend.
Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale is one of the games most similar to Moonlighter. Randomly generated dungeons, nightly adventures, the daily life of a shopkeeper… What more could you want?
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Legend of Keepers: Career of a Dungeon Manager
| Release date: | 2021-04-29 |
| Genre: | Turn-Based Combat |
| Developer: | Goblinz Studio |
In Legend of Keepers: Career of a Dungeon Manager, players take on the role of a fledgling dungeon manager. Our task is to defend the dungeons and what lies within them from nosy and overzealous heroes.
Roguelike elements and skills in management (including time management) are the main common denominators between this game and Moonlighter. Another aspect that connects them is the simple graphics.
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Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos
| Release date: | 2021-02-23 |
| Genre: | Action |
| Developer: | Heliocentric Studios |
After the Titans were imprisoned, the city of Tasos enjoyed blissful peace. Unfortunately, not for long. The seals protecting the dungeons begin to lose their power and the tyrants are about to return. Fortunately, a quartet of heroes is ready to descend into the underground, defeat evil, and thus save Tasos.
Although it is a roguelike game, fortunately, we won’t experience (just like in Moonlighter) the phenomenon of permanent death in it. Of course, we will be punished by being sent back to the beginning of the level. The dungeons are randomly generated each time, which means different enemies or traps in different places.
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Enter the Gungeon
| Release date: | 2016-04-05 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Dodge Roll |
The hero of Enter the Gungeon sets out to a distant planet searching for a weapon that will not only defeat any enemy, but also help change the past. On arrival, he discovers that he must not only overcome dangerous traps but also confront the Cult of the Gundead.
The game utilizes most of the gameplay elements and mechanics you encountered in Moonlighter. It is a typical dungeon crawler combined with roguelike, so expect dungeon exploration and randomly generated locations.
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Dead Cells
| Release date: | 2017-05-10 |
| Genre: | Action & Shooter |
| Developer: | Motion Twin |
In Dead Cells, our hero (the prisoner) makes his way through a series of diverse and dangerous locations. His main goals are to kill the king and escape the cruel island. Will he succeed? It depends on us.
Dead Cells had to be on our list of games like Moonlighter, if only because of the randomly generated locations. In the case of death here, we are also exposed to the loss of equipment, but with the difference that in Dead Cells, we lose it all.
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Children of Morta
| Release date: | 2019-09-01 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Dead Mage |
In the game, we learn about the fate of the Bergson family. Their task is to defend the titular Mount Morta from the actions of mysterious, malevolent forces. Step into the shoes of family members to find the seeds of life. Only they can help you stop the impending destruction!
In addition to roguelike and randomly generated locations, we also have another common factor here. Namely, it is the game publisher, which, just like in the case of Moonlighter, is 11bit studios.
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Summary
By creating Moonlighter, Digital Sun Games created an almost perfect game. A game that redefined roguelike and took players to a whole new level of gameplay. We hope that among the titles proposed on our list, you will find a worthy successor to Moonlighter. Good luck!