Moonlighter: Between Dimensions Review Summary

The DLC impresses with trick weapons, new enemies, and bosses but feels repetitive and grindy with disappointing drop rates and a buggy, unpolished state.

DLC quality exceeds reviews: Many players find the DLC better than Steam reviews suggest, describing it as fun, different, and beautiful. They would gladly recommend it despite mixed external feedback.

Trick weapons and upgrades added: The DLC introduces new trick weapons and upgrades to existing equipment, offering a cool new mechanic. Multiple new items, weapons, armors, and potions are also added.

New enemies and bosses: New enemies and bosses are present, with demanding enemies featuring fun patterns to discover. Players encounter more enemies, stronger foes, and new bosses/mini-bosses.

Story expanded: The story is expanded in the DLC, adding more narrative depth and background. This helps enrich the overall game world.

Rich addition of content: The DLC adds new bosses, enemies, weapons, armor, and loot, along with companions and more. This mixture offers varied gameplay.

DLC content is repetitive and grindy: The DLC's new dungeon and late-game levels are described as repetitive, boring, and tedious, with excessive grinding that detracts from fun. This is highlighted by multiple clusters focusing on monotony and lack of variety.

Drop rates are too low: Several essential items, such as Resistance Metal and Carbon Fiber Plate, have extremely low drop rates, making progression frustrating and comparable to winning the lottery. This is a common complaint across multiple clusters.

DLC lacks meaningful progression: Players report that the DLC fails to offer a true sense of progression compared to the base game, feeling hollow and unfinished. It appears to extend playtime without innovation, leading to dissatisfaction.

Enemies are unbalanced and unfun: Enemies have significantly higher HP and damage than in the base game, and some can steal or destroy items, adding unfair risk. This makes combat feel tedious and unrewarding.

Buggy and unpolished state: The DLC suffers from numerous bugs and glitches, some minor and others more severe, leaving the game in an unfinished state. This tarnishes the overall experience.

New dungeon with multiple floors: The DLC primarily adds a new dungeon, often described as having 10 floors or levels, and includes new enemies, items, and a final boss. Some feedback notes it mixes old and new enemies.

Adds new weapons and armor: The DLC introduces new weapon types, armor sets, and equipment, including relic weapons and upgradable gear. This expands the player's arsenal and customization options.

Gameplay similar to base game: Many players feel the DLC is essentially more of the same content as the base game, focusing on grinding and extending playtime rather than introducing substantially new mechanics.

Adds bartering and shop upgrades: The DLC introduces new shop mechanics, including bartering systems, new vendors, and shop upgrades, allowing players to trade items and access exclusive goods.

Post-game story continuation: The DLC's events occur after the main story, serving as a continuation that expands narrative content and offers post-game missions.

Game freezes and bugs: Multiple players experience freezes and bugs during gameplay, including random freezes and one incident where the game froze during dungeon clears, forcing an alt+F4 and losing a trick weapon.

Audio issues reported: Audio problems include desync in dungeons, delayed low health sound effects, stutters, and missing sounds for some interactions. These detract from the experience but are not game-breaking.

Optimization mixed feedback: While some players report improved optimization and fewer bugs, others experience the opposite, leading to conflicting views on the game's technical state.

Loading times longer: One player notes longer loading times, which can impact the overall pacing and enjoyment of the game.

Not recommended for most players: Many reviewers advise against purchasing this DLC, stating it is not suitable for normal players and should be avoided entirely. The DLC is seen as a time sink with little payoff for the average user.

Buy only on sale: A significant number of reviewers suggest waiting for a massive sale before buying, as the DLC is not worth its full price. Some even claim it is not worth buying at any price, but most agree a discount makes it more acceptable.

Bugs and glitches prevalent: Multiple reviewers mention that the DLC is plagued with bugs, including a bugged ending and freezing issues. Some describe it as being in an Early Access state, advising players to wait until fixes are released.

Good for New Game Plus: The DLC is recommended for players who plan to engage with New Game Plus, as it adds content that enhances that mode. Some reviewers note that the DLC content is only accessible after completing the base game's New Game Plus.

Hardcore fans only: The DLC is only recommended for hardcore fans of Moonlighter who have already beaten New Game Plus and stockpiled gold. This narrows the audience significantly.

Community fair range: $0.99 - $2.49.

Story completion: 6.0h.

Players find the DLC enjoyable initially but quickly become bored and frustrated by repetitive grinding and slow progression.

Friction: grind for gear; repetitive gameplay; health-sponge enemies; slow progression; high tier upgrade materials.

Grind-Weary Veteran: Reluctant grinder; forced to farm repetitive rooms with low drop rates. Motivation: Seeking fair progression but hindered by excessive grind and RNG. Stance: no buy.

Bugged Completionist: Achievement-focused; methodically seeks every unlock. Motivation: Achieving 100% completion but blocked by a persistent bug. Stance: no buy.

Casual Fan: Casual explorer; plays through new content once without excessive farming for completion. Motivation: More of the same low-cost content from a game they enjoyed. Stance: sale.

Monetization: The DLC is a traditional expansion with no microtransactions, loot boxes, or pay-to-win elements. Player complaints center on grindy gameplay and the price-to-content ratio, not on real-money in-game purchases or predatory monetization. The game does not sell any in-game advantages for real money beyond the initial DLC purchase.

DLC pricing generally fair: Multiple reviews note the DLC is inexpensive, often discounted, and reasonably priced for its content, with some saying it extends enjoyment at a good value. However, a few feel the price doesn't match the content.

Mixed value perception: Some reviewers see the DLC as a small update not justifying its price, while others find it inexpensive and worthwhile, leading to mixed value assessments.

DLC adds quality content: The DLC includes new music tracks, a shop upgrade, a new NPC, and a final boss, adding some enjoyable content, though it's seen as more of the same.

DLC shorter than base: The DLC provides significantly less playtime than the base game, despite costing half the price, leading to disappointment for some players.

Moonlighter DLC context: The DLC is for the game Moonlighter, and reviews often reference the upcoming sequel or the game's age, affecting perspective on the DLC.