Info about Moonlighter: Between Dimensions:

Official game description:
  
The village of Rynoka. Once again peaceful and prosperous after the events of the Fifth Door. Shaded with green trees, inhabited by adventurous and entrepreneurial creatures alike. You can understand why a person would like to live here endlessly. However, life doesn't stop for anybody. The wind of change is blowing through Rynoka. **A new, cryptic Portal appeared out of nowhere. Does it bring a new threat? Or is it a new way to make an easy profit? And most importantly... are you prepared to enter the unknown?**  
Between Dimensions is the biggest Moonlighter expansion. The DLC enlarges the main experience by filling current dungeons with new creatures, populating all-new Interdimensional Dungeon with mini-bosses, swarming the adventure with new weapons, armory, shop items, and rings.  
**Features:**  
*   A brand-new Interdimensional Dungeon (and a chance for it to appear as a Corrupted Dungeon in the original dungeons)  
*   10 original enemies and 5 minibosses  
*   Full set of weapons with a new short sword, big sword, bow, gloves, and spear  
*   Set of armor with a new helmet, chest, and boots  
*   Trick Weapons – 10 unique weapons – both powerful… and punishing!  
*   New Rings – which are boosting Will’s passive abilities  
*   New Shop upgrade – allowing Will to showcase his new Interdimensional Items  
*   New Customers asking to trade and an unfamiliar NPC: The Trader  
*   Additional story and lore

Release date: Jul 23, 2019

Categories: Action RPG, Dungeon Crawler, Character Progression, Resource Management, Grind-focused Gameplay, Shop Management, New Game+

Feature scans:
- MTX: score 10; verdict: Fair (No Predatory Monetization); summary: 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.

- Hardware Profile: No data
Feature extractions:
- Community Price:
  - Community fair range: $0.99 - $2.49
  - Reasoning: Multiple reviews indicate the game is only worth buying at a very low sale price, with some explicitly stating it is not worth even $2.89. The Chinese review expresses regret at paying 22 yuan (~$3), suggesting that price is too high. The overall sentiment is that the base game should be priced very low, likely under $2.50, to be considered fair by the community.
- Playtime Metrics:
  - Game completion: N/A
  - Story completion: 6.0h
  - Session length: N/A
  - Endgame: N/A
  - Reasoning: Two independent reviews explicitly state the DLC can be completed in 6 hours: one mentions a '6 hour playthrough' and another reports '6 hours to beat the DLC' on hard difficulty. No reliable evidence exists for full game completion (all upgrades), session length, or endgame content playtime. The 3-hour claim is from a review that suspects cheating, so I disregarded it.
- Time-to-fun:
  - Summary: Players find the DLC enjoyable initially but quickly become bored and frustrated by repetitive grinding and slow progression.
  - Stance: Fun then drops
  - Anchor: N/A
  - Time to anchor: N/A
  - Friction: grind for gear; repetitive gameplay; health-sponge enemies; slow progression; high tier upgrade materials
  - Unlock drivers: N/A
  - Conditions: N/A
- Player Archetypes:
  - Grind-Weary Veteran (no buy)
    - Motivation: Seeking fair progression but hindered by excessive grind and RNG.
    - Playstyle: Reluctant grinder; forced to farm repetitive rooms with low drop rates.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Moonlighter
  - Bugged Completionist (no buy)
    - Motivation: Achieving 100% completion but blocked by a persistent bug.
    - Playstyle: Achievement-focused; methodically seeks every unlock.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: no buy
    - Labels: achievement hunter
    - Reference games: N/A
  - Casual Fan (sale)
    - Motivation: More of the same low-cost content from a game they enjoyed.
    - Playstyle: Casual explorer; plays through new content once without excessive farming for completion.
    - Experience: familiar
    - Purchase stance: sale
    - Labels: N/A
    - Reference games: Moonlighter
  - Hardcore Obsessed (buy)
    - Motivation: Completing all post-game content for a beloved game.
    - Playstyle: Dedicated grinder; willingly endures repetitive content to fully gear up and experience everything.
    - Experience: veteran
    - Purchase stance: buy
    - Labels: hardcore obsessed; Moonlighter lover
    - Reference games: Moonlighter


Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category.
Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews.
What players like:
- DLC quality exceeds reviews (weight 0.18): 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 (weight 0.12): 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 (weight 0.12): 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 (weight 0.08): The story is expanded in the DLC, adding more narrative depth and background. This helps enrich the overall game world.
- Rich addition of content (weight 0.08): The DLC adds new bosses, enemies, weapons, armor, and loot, along with companions and more. This mixture offers varied gameplay.
- New 10-floor dungeon (weight 0.08): A new 10-floor dungeon is introduced, with new enemies, materials, and a boss. Each floor brings new challenges and discoveries.
- No progression-blocking bugs (weight 0.08): Players report encountering no bugs during play and were able to clear the game without progression blockers. This indicates a polished DLC experience.
- Base game praised (weight 0.07): The base game is regarded as great and cool, which serves as a positive foundation for the DLC. This context likely contributes to overall satisfaction.
- Shop upgrade beneficial (weight 0.07): The new shop upgrade is noted as a nice increase to selling potential and considered good. It enhances the player's economic options.
- New pets introduced (weight 0.07): The DLC includes new pets that are described as cool and unique. This feature adds charm and variety to the gameplay experience.

Common complaints:
- DLC content is repetitive and grindy (weight 0.43): 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 (weight 0.27): 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 (weight 0.25): 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 (weight 0.14): 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 (weight 0.14): 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.
- Dungeon design monotonous (weight 0.13): The new dungeon's rooms and mobs are repetitive, leading to boredom and a slog-like experience. This contributes to the overall tedium of the DLC.
- Barter system blocks progression (weight 0.08): The new barter merchant cannot be used with gold, and blueprints/upgrades are shown but unusable due to this system, blocking crafting progress. This design choice frustrates players who expect the traditional currency.
- Limited gear variety and visuals (weight 0.08): New armor and weapons lack variation, with all five tiers looking the same and only one variant per class. This reduces incentive to upgrade and makes progression feel meaningless.
- Materials inaccessible through shops (weight 0.08): Certain items cannot be bought from Le Retailer, traded, or found in chests, making them only obtainable through low-probability drops, which is frustrating.
- Ending unsatisfying and abrupt (weight 0.07): Both the base game and DLC endings are criticized as abrupt and lacking strength, leaving players with an unsatisfactory conclusion.
- Enchantments disappear on exit (weight 0.07): Enchantments on the newest equipment disappear after exiting the game, requiring re-enchanting each time, which is a tedious and bug-prone process.

Gameplay feedback:
- New dungeon with multiple floors (weight 0.55): 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 (weight 0.3): 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 (weight 0.29): 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 (weight 0.23): 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 (weight 0.21): The DLC's events occur after the main story, serving as a continuation that expands narrative content and offers post-game missions.
- Grind-focused gameplay (weight 0.18): The DLC heavily emphasizes grinding for materials, loot, and gear, which some players find repetitive but others see as core to the game's loop.
- New crafting and upgrades (weight 0.18): The DLC adds new crafting options, upgrade paths, and materials, including rare items like Carbon Fiber Plate, required for advanced gear.
- Enemies steal player items (weight 0.17): A notable threat in the DLC is enemies that can steal items from the player's inventory, adding a risk-reward element to combat and exploration.
- Increased enemy difficulty (weight 0.16): Enemies in the DLC are generally stronger, with higher health and damage, creating a steeper difficulty curve compared to the base game.
- Teleport restrictions (weight 0.15): Some dungeons in the DLC restrict teleportation, requiring completion in one run or only allowing permanent teleports every few floors, adding challenge.
- Unique dungeon currency (weight 0.13): A special currency, like slime or one that resets on leaving, is used in the DLC's dungeon shops for equipment, potions, and floor skips.
- Barter for rare materials (weight 0.13): Trading mechanics allow players to obtain rare materials and exclusive items, often through a new NPC vendor.
- New dimension mechanic (weight 0.11): The DLC introduces a dimension-switching mechanic that acts as a shortcut, along with portals in the void for early game dungeons.
- Mini-bosses and final boss (weight 0.1): The DLC features mini-bosses on certain floors and a final boss at the end, providing structured combat encounters.
- Adds new areas and secrets (weight 0.09): In addition to the main dungeon, the DLC adds optional floors, new zones like a desert dungeon, and hidden secrets to discover.
- Difficulty matches base game (weight 0.07): Some find the DLC's difficulty similar to the base game, while others note it requires new equipment and strategies due to tougher enemies.
- Introduces bank investment system (weight 0.04): A bank investment mechanic allows players to invest currency with returns over seven days, adding a strategic layer to economy management.

Performance notes:
- Game freezes and bugs (weight 0.12): 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 (weight 0.12): 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 (weight 0.08): 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 (weight 0.04): One player notes longer loading times, which can impact the overall pacing and enjoyment of the game.

Recommendations:
- Not recommended for most players (weight 0.47): 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 (weight 0.44): 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 (weight 0.27): 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 (weight 0.16): 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 (weight 0.08): 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.
- Provides strong items (weight 0.07): Some reviewers highlight that the DLC offers powerful weapons and items that make the base game easier to breeze through. This is seen as a positive for players who want a more relaxed experience.
- Not for casual players (weight 0.07): The DLC is not recommended for those who are not interested in grinding or creating new equipment. It seems to cater to hardcore players who enjoy deep progression systems.
- Consider complete edition (weight 0.04): One reviewer suggests that the DLC is only worth it if you purchase the complete edition at a low price. This implies that buying the DLC separately is not a good deal.
- Check guide before playing (weight 0.04): One reviewer recommends checking a guide before playing the DLC, likely due to unclear mechanics or progression paths. This can help players avoid frustration and make the most of the content.
- Dimension-switching is highlight (weight 0.03): A single reviewer notes that the only worthwhile part of the DLC is the dimension-switching mechanic from the original game. This suggests that the new content may not add much beyond what was already present.

Other player notes:
- DLC pricing generally fair (weight 0.25): 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 (weight 0.23): 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 (weight 0.2): 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 (weight 0.19): The DLC provides significantly less playtime than the base game, despite costing half the price, leading to disappointment for some players.
- Moonlighter DLC context (weight 0.16): The DLC is for the game Moonlighter, and reviews often reference the upcoming sequel or the game's age, affecting perspective on the DLC.
- Base game preferred (weight 0.14): Several reviews express that the base game is excellent and fluid, but the DLC lacks that essence, with some calling it disappointing or inferior.
- Progression feels unbalanced (weight 0.13): Compared to the base game, the DLC's progression is considered unbalanced, with some items and mechanics making certain base game content obsolete.
- Developer support noteworthy (weight 0.07): The developer continued fixing bugs even when the DLC wasn't selling, but unresolved issues hurt credibility for some.
- Exploit and mechanics issues (weight 0.07): A money duplication exploit exists with the bank, and the bank investment mechanic returns over seven days, which may unbalance gameplay.
- New content for high-level players (weight 0.04): For maxed NG+ players, the DLC content is small, lasting about two days, suggesting limited endgame value.
- Community reviews misleading (weight 0.04): One review notes that community reviews give a misleading impression of the DLC, either overly negative or positive.

Emotions:
- Frustration (weight 0.28): Players were frustrated by a combination of game-breaking bugs, such as the final cutscene not playing or the game freezing, and heavy RNG-dependent grinding with extremely low drop rates. The frequent loss of progress and items stolen by enemies, along with a lack of fixes, made the experience feel unfair and broken.
- Disappointment (weight 0.2): Players expected more from the DLC and were let down by the repetitive content, lack of meaningful additions, and unbalanced mechanics. The unpolished state, poor translation, and the fact that it did not meet the quality of the base game made the expansion feel underwhelming and not worth the price.
- Satisfaction (weight 0.08): Satisfaction came from the DLC adding substantial content that extended the gameplay and expanded the story, with improvements to the base game. The absence of bugs and the beautiful presentation contributed to a positive experience, making the expansion feel like a great addition.
- Enjoyment (weight 0.07): Despite some issues, players enjoyed the DLC due to the fun and streamlined gameplay, cool new enemies and weapons, and the added content that prolonged the game's life. The musical atmosphere and eventual discovery of useful features also contributed to an enjoyable experience.
- Annoyance (weight 0.05): Annoyance was caused by the lack of quality-of-life features like loot filters, and the tedious bartering system. Regular inventory theft by enemies, along with audio desync and other glitches, further contributed to the irritation.
- Frustrated (weight 0.05): Players felt frustrated by the endless grinding required for rare drops and the extremely low drop rates for necessary materials. Broken mini-bosses with overpowered attacks and one-hit kills made progress feel unrewarding and tedious, especially when farming required multiple runs.
- Boredom (weight 0.03): Boredom arose from the repetitive and monotonous mechanics, with samey rooms, mobs, and maps. The heavy grinding and lack of variety made the DLC feel dull, especially for players who were not engaged by the repetitive gameplay.
- Appreciation (weight 0.02): Players appreciated that the DLC improved the base game's ending and added meaningful content. The high quality of the dungeon, music, and the surprising new final boss, along with the developer's responsiveness in fixing bugs despite low sales, were noted positively.
- Disappointed (weight 0.02): Disappointment stemmed from the DLC feeling monotonous and lacking innovation, with equipment that was inferior to what players already had. The rushed state, evident in grammar errors and low effort, compared unfavorably to the base game.
- Anger (weight 0.02): Players were angry about the game's poor design, including the inability to customize prices or enable mouse controls, and the frequent theft and destruction of items by enemies. The many bugs and the DLC's negative impact on the base game's positive aspects fueled this anger.
- Angry (weight 0.02): Anger was directed at the developers for barely playtesting the DLC, as evidenced by the rare vital drops with no purchase option and obnoxious time-wasting designs. The final boss was disproportionately hard, requiring god mode even with full gear.
- Amusement (weight 0.01): Players found amusement in the situation, such as not realizing they had the expansion until later, and poking fun at negative reviews that called the DLC too hard or grindy, providing a lighter perspective.
- Excitement (weight 0.01): Excitement was generated by powerful items like the life-steal ring that made boss fights easier, and the anticipation of exploring the game's expanded content before playing the DLC.
- Satisfied (weight 0.01): Satisfaction came from the ability to obtain upgrades easily within a few runs, with no bugs encountered and a good amount of content for a holiday. The efficient progression and lack of technical issues contributed to a positive experience.
- Tiredness (weight 0.01): Players felt tired from the excessive grinding for equipment and materials, especially within the long 10-floor dungeon runs. The process of enumerating the many bugs they encountered also contributed to the overall fatigue.
- Hope (weight 0.01): Hope was expressed for future content updates and a corrective patch to address issues that prevented players from finishing the game properly. The expectation of ongoing development support kept some players optimistic.
- Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arose from the introduction of a new bartering system that made gold useless, leaving players puzzled about the game's economy and the purpose of the new mechanic.
- Love (weight 0.01): Love for the expansion was expressed due to the overall enjoyable experience it provided, reinforcing positive feelings toward the game.
- Sarcasm (weight 0.01): Sarcasm was used to express discontent, such as suggesting that buying a pie would be more enjoyable than playing the DLC, highlighting the poor quality and dissatisfaction.
- Contentment (weight 0.01): Contentment came from viewing the DLC as a good addition to the game despite its drawbacks, maintaining a positive overall impression.}