Quill’s movements are subtle and tiny, and though she doesn’t speak, it’s those moments that give her the biggest personality and soul in a game that I’ve played for quite some time. Having played the game with the VR headset on, and watched the game while my wife played it on TV, the difference in the quality of experience that the VR technology enables is nothing short of magical. While Moss doesn’t have an extensive story in itself, it constantly references a wide range of different literature traditions, and that helps give the game itself a sense of heritage and majesty – it’ll be familiar and nostalgic to just about everyone, because everyone grew up with these kinds of stories.īut it’s Quill herself that you’ll be most enamoured to. There’s moments where the game resembles a classical fairytale, when you get to interact with fey, follow a will-o-the-wisp-like creature, and make your way towards an ominous looking castle deep inside the wilds. There’s elements of the fable, with the game occasionally expressing a simple moral lesson or two in the vein of Aesop and others. There are other classical literary genres that can be identified running through Moss, too generally they’re appropriations of early children’s literature genres. And, of course, Tolkien in turn borrowed his story concepts heavily from many of the old tales of Europe. Structurally it’s little different to Tolkien’s epic, what with Frodo discovering that ring and then deciding to travel across the planet to destroy it. Along the way she encounters fairy-people (effectively woodland elves in structure and personality), traverses some nightmarish landscapes, explores places of history and antiquity, and learns about the frailties and strengths of “people” and heroes. The little gemstone that Quill discovers in Moss is both powerful and dangerous, and dealing with the implications of discovering it serves as the catalyst for her quest. There’s also a slight touch of Lord of the Rings about Moss, which sounds odd, but again that goes back to the folktale heritage on the game. Moss is similar, from the perspective that mice and other small woodland animals have human-like society and motivations, and much like Adam’s work, it’s quite beautiful in the way it humanises these animals. Along the way they run into cats, dogs, a militant rabbit clan run by a fascist dictator (I kid you not), and, of course, birds of prey, the rabbit’s greatest fear of all. His masterpiece was Watership Down, a book about a community of rabbits looking for a new home after fleeing a farmer’s attempt to “remove” them from his farm. Adams, for those who haven’t read his books, took animals and gave them a human-like ability to communicate and interpret the world around them. Moss is one of the most beautiful appropriations of the classical folksy aesthetic and structure that I’ve come across, mixed in with some Richard Adams-style storytelling. You also serve as another set of eyes, looking around environments for secrets and ways through its puzzles. You – as in the physical you – are a “storyteller,” brought into the world through very particular magic, and, when an adventurous little mouse, Quill, picks up a magical crystal, you become her partner in her adventure, helping her by manipulating the environment and protecting her from threats in the world. It doesn’t take long to realise why it’s important to Moss, though.įirstly, the VR perspective is woven masterfully into the delightful folktale-style narrative of Moss. It’s a third person puzzle/ platformer, after all, and it’s not a genre you would necessarily think benefits from what VR offers as a platform. Initially, it might seem strange that the game’s forcing you to play in VR. This is one of the finest uses of the PlayStation VR hardware to date. Then, the deeper you dig into it, the more delightful it becomes. Moss, thanks to its achingly charming mouse protagonist, is immediately appealing and engaging. I know a game has something special about it when I’m playing, and my wife sees it in passing, taps me on the shoulder, and asks me to have a go.
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