Hi there, everyone!
It’s been some time since the last update so: big apologies! We’re in the last stages of the development of the game, and almost all our efforts are on finishing the best game possible.
Contents of this update:
- All Moonlighter content is done! (But there is still work to do...)
- An introduction to the Shop Mechanics
- General Moonlighter FAQ
We are very proud to say that, after several years of work (around 3,5 years!), the core development of Moonlighter is done! There still is some stuff to do before you can have the game in your hands but the major part of the effort is already behind us!
This means that:
- All gameplay content is done! Will fights, trades, crafts, sleeps and meets new people all the way through the game until solving the mystery of The 5th Gate.
- Every pixel moves in the right direction when told, and has the right color. The music is loud when it should be, and mesmerizing when needed, all thanks to David Fenn.
- All four dungeons are done, with three unique floors on each and big bad boss at the end.
- Almost 50 different kinds of enemies await for Will in the depths of the dungeons.
- Secret and special rooms are now 99% bug free! (ok, maybe 98%...)
- Our random “fancy overpriced item name generator” for Le Retailer (Will’s rival merchant) is finished and working in full power.
- Each sword swing, step, and deep breath now sounds as expected, thanks to the work of Alex Benet.
- The 5th Gate now actually has something behind it… awaiting for Will.
- The Witch sells potions and enchant items at just the right prices, brewing those is more effort than you might think...
- All texts are in place, in the following languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Polish, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian), Chinese. Only the Spanish translation and some minor stuff is still under progress. Yeah, our own language was the last one... Priorities… Btw, this is the awesome name of Moonlighter in Korean: 문라이터 !!
- The options menu is finished and allows you to do things like setting the difficulty of the game between normal, hard, or very hard.
Now, we still need to:
- Fix minor bugs here and there on the PC version of the game (we don’t have almost any major bug on PC).
- Final debugging of console ports. The game is already playable from beginning to end on Xbox One, PS4 and almost there on Nintendo Switch, but it still needs some more work before starting the certification process.
- This is the major point pending, it’s a lot of work, but we are very close to finish and things are looking good.
- Creating some cool trailers.. With some background story (anyone wants to see Will as a kid?) :)
It’s a lot of work to build a game like Moonlighter and we really appreciate the support we are receiving, we are very close finish and we are really looking forward for the day you can all play the game.
We feel we never gave Will’s shop (Moonlighter), the attention it deserves on previous updates. And, in many aspects, it’s the heart of game. So, here is a quick summary of all the shop mechanics:
Price mechanics
When will finds a new item in the dungeons he doesn’t know the exact value of the item, so he needs to try to find the right prize by judging the reactions of the customers. You don’t want to sell too cheap, but you also don’t want to be greedy…
Item popularity
Selling a lot of an item, or selling an item slightly overpriced, will reduce the popularity of that item making it harder to sell at a decent price, or even impossible to sell. With time, the popularity will return to normality for every item.
Thieves
One of the side effects of being greedy is that some shady “customers” might be tempted to steal from you. Thankfully, Will, used to face way more dangerous foes, is more than prepared to deal with these individuals.
Home / Shop improvements
Will can invest some of his hard earned gold in improvements for his shop: Moonlighter. As the game progresses, it is possible to expand the shop. Larger versions will have more showcases, more space to place decorations and more chests to store items. Also, it is possible to invest in other aspects of the shop like a larger storage chest, a better bed (resting is important for moonlighters!) or a useful “sales box”.
Shop decorations
Once Will proves that there is something going on in Rynoka again, it will be possible to attract a very special merchant to Rynoka: The Hawker. This well traveled trader sells some fancy decorations that customers love! Placing them in your shop will modify some shop stats like the customers inclination to pay some extra gold, or the amount of customers you can receive during a day… Having a beautiful shop is great on itself, sure, but it’s also good for business!
Sales report
Recently, we added a report that summarizes the sales everytime you close the shop. We felt it was important to see clearly how productive the day was!
Requests
As the game progresses, Will’s customers will be a little more sophisticated. Some of them will come to your shop with a request for a very specific item in mind. They will come back at a specific date and, if Will can deliver the request, they will be very generous...
Shop manager
In the later stages of the game, Will tends to spend more and more time in the dungeons, as he gets closer to opening the 5th door. At this point, some help can come in handy, which is why we included a new character: the shop manager. She is a experienced shopkeeper that can be hired as extra help on very busy shops. The manager can be very efficient in obtaining the best value for the items and also in dissuading thieves, allowing Will to focus on crossing The 5th Gate!
Now, we know you still have a lot of questions. We hope this helps:
When is the game going to be released?
Well, as soon as we feel it’s ready, which should be pretty soon. We worked so hard on Moonlighter that we wouldn’t want to rush it and give you something not polished or poorly balanced. We were aiming at a Q1 2018 release (and that was already a delay from previous goals) but it probably won’t be possible given the complexity of debugging and polishing the game on all platforms. At the same time, there isn’t that much work pending so we should be ready in a very few months.
If the game content is ready, why don’t you release the game already on PC?
The game content is finished but that doesn’t mean that it’s 100% bug-free (though it’s already very stable). Also, even if we had a PC version ready to release, it’s much better for us, as an indie studio, to release simultaneously on all platforms. It gives the game more marketing visibility, something that we can’t simply “purchase” like huge companies. We want to increase the chances of Moonlighter selling well on all platforms: It’s going to be very important so we can continue to create games for all of you!
Are you going to attend game shows in the following months?
Yes! We’ll be at PAX East and GDC,. For those around Valencia (our hometown, in Spain), we’ll also attend the “Valencia Indie Summit” on the 1st and 2nd of March. Come say hello!
How is the team’s morale?
It’s staying high! Working hard for such a long time is, of course, tiring, but we are very excited about the current state of the game, and we really hope you like it. We feel that the hard work and love we invested really shows and it’s a high quality, fun and charismatic, indie game. We can’t wait to listen to what you think about it!
Any new about the Switch version?
We have received all your payments, and we will process the platform changes gradually. Currently everything is being set up, so don’t worry: You will receive your Nintendo Switch code on time!
And that’s all for now! As always, feel free to contact us via mail, direct message on Twitter, and via anything else :) We will respond you as soon as possible.
Best regards,
Digital Sun & 11 bit studios