For only a few short hours, I felt like I had an emotional connection to a precious little mouse (Anyone remember Stuart Little? So underrated - Ed). That’s what made Moss truly memorable. The developer, Polyarc, created an amazing PSVR title that took me by surprise.

You’re a fabled reader, a towering guardian that has chosen Quill (who happens to be the protagonist of the book you are reading). She is on a quest to save her uncle in a wonderfully thought-up fantasy world. When I first started up Moss I was taken in by the amazing visuals, and most importantly, the scale of everything in the game. As I turned the pages of the book, I felt as if I were set to start a great journey. However, what followed truly blew my mind. Moss, unlike many other games, doesn’t make you walk a mile in the protagonist's shoes but instead offers you a chance to aid the protagonist on her journey.



You are immersed into what is easily believable as a children’s novel, whether it be interacting with huge blocks or giving Quill a high five for solving a puzzle, you truly feel as if you are bonding with Quill more and more through each level. You have direct control over Quill using the buttons on the controller and you physically exist in her world using the motion aspect of the DUALSHOCK 4 controller. The game does a wonderful job of connecting you to Quill and, in turn, causes you to be invested. You aren’t just a camera floating in the sky. The developers took the time to make your presence very well known in the game. You are a character. Look down at some water and you will see your character's reflection. This thoughtful attention to detail throughout the game truly sets it apart from other VR titles.

One of the biggest surprises for me would have to be the animation and overall movement. Quill effortlessly skimps about, and her attacks are tight and responsive. Polyarc clearly didn’t cut any corners there. At first, I was worried that the game might be a little too easy, but I had my fair share of hiccups through the story. That goes to say that the puzzles aren’t too difficult. Moss finds a way to blend in easy-to-solve puzzles with some that make you go “Eureka, I have done it!”



The combat is fairly straightforward in that Quill only ever swings her sword, jumps, and dodges. The game balances this simple combat by sending over multiple enemies in order to keep you on your feet. The three types of enemies you face will be a robotic beetle that likes to slash at you, another that likes to launch projectiles at you, and others that prefer to be ticking time bombs. As the reader, you are capable of controlling an enemy one at a time - either for puzzle solving, or to stop them from attacking Quill; I say give her a little breather from time to time because she deserves it.

As you progress through the story, Moss keeps upping the challenge, concluding in a flashy multi-stage boss fight. This does take somewhat of a difficulty curve as platforming felt a little unfair, but regardless, I felt fulfilled with overcoming the challenge set before me.



Now, we address the part of the game that really saddened me. I really didn’t want the game to end. This is the bitter side to the sweet aspect of Moss. It's only a couple of hours long. The story ends on an anticlimactic note, with the narrator letting you know that this is only “Book I.” Quill successfully accomplishes what she has to do, but it feels like the story has only just begun.

There are multiple layers to this beautiful VR title that truly makes the game a joy to play through. The idea of bonding with the protagonist as another character, while helping her solve puzzles in a fantasy world is endearing and plucked at my heartstrings. I really hope that Polyarc is ready to make a sequel to Moss because I don’t want to say goodbye to Quill. This could easily be a major selling point and great franchise for the PSVR, if Polyarc were to continue.