Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault review

The first Moonlighter’s hook was a double life: raid dungeons by day, then sell the loot in your shop by night. The sequel moves to 3D and spent time in Early Access on PC before its 1.0 release. That launch was also its console debut, and it arrived on Game Pass on Sept 2.

Critics say the wait paid off. The OpenCritic Top Critic Average is 83, with 81% recommending it. TechRaptor (8.5/10) calls it well polished and says it strengthens the story, roguelike mechanics, combat and shopkeeping. Nintendo Life (8/10) sees a bigger, bolder sequel thanks to the visual overhaul and combat changes, and COGconnected (84/100) enjoyed it as both an action roguelike and a cosy economy sim, even if it gets grindy.

Not everyone agrees. CGMagazine (6.5/10) felt it does what the original did, only slower, with bugs that shouldn’t have shipped. On Xbox, TheXboxHub had a similar experience: the game froze once and crashed once during loading screens, which are long and choppy. It also got stuck in the scenery, fell through the map and hit a quest bug the developers said they were fixing.

HowLongToBeat’s early sample puts the story at about 16 hours, and closer to 25 with extras. If the loop appeals, Game Pass is the perfect way to try it. Just save often until the patches land.