Moonlighter, the beautiful indie darling, will heading for iOS on 19th November
The developers have worked hard to ensure the port is a good fit on mobile
During our first LaunchPad event, we had a chance to go hands-on with the upcoming mobile port of Moonlighter, which left Dann impressed. This time around we're pleased to announce the game will be heading for iOS on 19th November and share some insight with how development on the port went.
The developers have spent a lot of time tinkering with the iOS version of Moonlighter to make the game feel as close to the other versions as possible. The game features tap and swipe mechanics to handle movement and dashing, which can be done with either thumb. Though the virtual joysticks setup is an option if you'd prefer.
The UI of the game has also had to receive a major overhaul as well. Discussing this, the developers said: “The game has seen a major rework of the UI, a fundamental part of Moonlighter. We believe that mechanics like selling items, inventory management, etc. feel as natural on a touchscreen as they felt with a controller. We have approached each panel, each menu, as an individual challenge, consisting of making them usable with touch control while keeping them elegant, simple, and intuitive.”
They've also altered the flow of the gameplay too so that it's better suited for being played on mobile. Specifically, this means the game can now be played in much shorter bursts, maintaining the rogue-like feel that saw it gain popularity whilst providing players with play sessions that last a few minutes at a time.
It's great to see 11-bit Studios and Digital Sun Games treating mobile as a serious platform for Moonlighter and taking the time to figure out how best to make the game work without losing its essence. They've also included all the free content updates that arrived on other platforms in the upcoming iOS version from day one so players can enjoy the full Moonlighter experience.
Moonlighter will be available on the App Store on 19th November. It will be a premium title that costs $11.99.
Head to the PocketGamer LaunchPad hub to find all of our exclusive announcements from our three-day event