Moss Review - Gem among the PlayStation VR games

The sacred VR trinity - being accessible, immersive and unique - is hardly realized by many parties in 2018. Many remain stuck at two of the three core points. Big boys prefer to exchange the unique for familiar costs (see Bethesda that almost every first person game metamorfoost to a VR version). It usually results in a great VR game that does what it should, but also in an experience that never offers the real 'wow' factor. Cue Polyarc, who with the PS VR exclusive game Moss has only one goal: to realize the illustrious trinity. And people, believe me, we're dealing with a winner.

A great adventure comes in a small package

Now the Polyarc stationed in Seattle is not a 'new kid on the block' when it comes to developing games. Although the team has been in the running for only three years, in the years before it has done a lot of work at Bungie. Being able to say that you have participated in a particular big game obviously does not offer any guarantees. There are enough flopped projects that have been marketed with arguments such as "from the makers of...". Moss is under no circumstances whatsoever in the category flopped. In fact, Moss strives for perfection and comes damn close to the neighborhood.

Everything stands or falls in a narrative game like Moss with a strong narrative and a well-developed protagonist. In the case of Moss, Polyarc takes us to the world to which the game is named, Moss. The fairytale and wooded environment almost makes you forget that there was a bitter battle here, one of which the sting is still sticking out. In the battle for a relic, a mouse population was expelled from their village by an obscure enemy and the castle of their king was brutally taken over. Quill, a mouse whose curiosity is greater than his ears, unintentionally mixes in its aftermath. Packed with only a backpack and a simple sword, Quill has to leave her to save her Mentor Argus from the enemy she only heard stories from. She does not know what awaits her, but Quill has not stopped that before. She is not a hardened combatant, but fortunately she is not alone in her quest.

The art of multitasking

This brings me directly to the first piece of innovation with which Polyarc displays this VR-game. In Moss, as a player you take the form of a Ghibli-esque ghostface, the Reader. This Reader - which is so called because the story of Moss is literally read from a book - is fixed in each level in one place, which is perfect news for all your motion sickness-louts. The task of the Reader is to help you avoid obstacles and thus create a path for Quill, which you also control as a player. So you control the entire game with two protagonists. Quill is controlled with the right hand lever and two action buttons while you as Reader can grab, lift and rotate objects with the triggers. It may sound a bit complicated, but the control works for 90% quite intuitively.

With these actions you complete puzzles for the most part, which are exactly challenging enough to make them neither frustrating nor childishly simple. Nowhere did I scratch myself behind the ears to find a solution, but often enough I have to use the gray mass. The puzzles are often limited to opening a gate by means of pressure sensors and switches, whereby from time to time you have to use a gift from the Reader, being the gift to temporarily control enemies. It is all quite straightforward, but it will still be an 'aha!' induce.

The same story goes pretty well in combat. Since you only encounter three types of enemy during the majority of Moss, there is not really a big learning curve involved. Quill only has a tiny sword anyway, so there is not really a tutorial involved. It is more exploiting the enemy, abusing his powers, which can make the difference between victory or defeat, especially later in the game when all three types storm the field at the same time. At those moments you experience the best that Quill can not do without the Reader and you as Reader without Quill. Losing the worst, on the other hand, did not have too big consequences because in Moss there is no such thing as 'game over'. Still a nice idea when you know that controls in a VR game are not always accurate.

(Almost) everything under control

VR games generally all have an issue here and there with controls, which is often due to faulty motion detection. Although Moss plays the sun for the biggest part, it is mainly the controls of the Reader that occasionally cause some awkwardness. Quite logical, given that the Reader is the only protagonist who actively uses the motion tracking, which we all know is not the strongest point of the PlayStation VR. The 'bubble' in the image that indicates where the imaginary hands of the Reader are, sometimes wants to jump, making it sometimes difficult to operate a specific object.

You also have to go into the depth from time to time, so you have to be sure that you have absolutely nothing in your setup. Polyarc made it clear during gamescom that movements do not have to be made so big, but explain it to someone who thinks that he is picking up beetles in a virtual forest. There is absolutely nothing to complain about Quill's controls. This is in fact as sophisticated as it can be. The times when I accidentally caused Quill to tumble in a ravine or drowned to count on one hand, and that was also due to my inadequate depth perception in virtual reality.

Moss is a graphic gem

Another misconception about the PlayStation VR is that every game looks like a PlayStation 3 game, something Polyarc likes to prove to the contrary. Moss may call himself a pearl of charm, which is largely due to the high level of detail. I do not want to go so far as to say that the levels look realistic, but in terms of immersion, Moss scores extremely well. Whether you're in the forest, on a stream where a big ass deer suddenly raises his head or in a ruin full of old mouse images, the level design makes you almost swear you're in the middle of it. Of course the audio department is working on this immersion, which I also have zero complaints about. The music adds that extra touch of atmosphere to the fairy tale.

The amount of detail is also reflected in the little things, including Quill himself, who is brilliantly animated. From the non-verbal communication when you seem to be thinking about a puzzle too long until the obvious struggle when she barely gets hoisted over that ledge. The refinement is mainly in the subtle things. Quill that invites you to a high five when a tough job is done. The weird attitudes she assumes when you stroke her back for a moment. Even her tail moves naturally. It all contributes to that one important thing: immersion. It should be clear, Polyarc knows how to make a VR game.

Conclusion

Polyarc briefly gives each VR developer a lesson in 'the virtually perfect VR game factories'. Moss is not only a feast for the eyes, it presents an atmospheric fairytale world in which you prefer to bonjourt all day long. The heroic Quill is a top-class sweetheart and the addition of the Ghibli-like Reader - which you embody - provides 100% immersion instead of a static camera point. The playing time of four hours and the sometimes awkward controls of the Reader are small smudges on the blazon, but otherwise this is a 'Moss-t have' for everyone with a PlayStation VR and the love for fairy tales and / or cute field mice.

Pros

➕ Moss is a gem among the PlayStation VR games
➕ The amount of detail is unprecedented
➕ The interaction between Quill and the Reader is beautiful
➕ Puzzles and combat are perfectly balanced in terms of challenge

Cons

➖ After four hours this splendor over
➖ Control Reader is sometimes a bit tricky (motion tracking)