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Moss (video game)

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Moss
DeveloperPolyarc
PublisherPolyarc
ComposerJason Graves
EngineUnreal Engine 4
Unreal Engine 5 (PS5)
Platforms
Release
  • PlayStation 4
  • February 27, 2018
  • Windows
  • June 7, 2018
  • Oculus Quest
  • May 21, 2019
  • PlayStation 5
  • February 22, 2023
  • Moss: The Forgotten Relic
  • July 16, 2026
GenresAdventure, puzzle
ModeSingle-player

Moss is a virtual reality adventure game developed and published by Polyarc. The game is presented from a blend of first-person and third-person perspectives, with a primary focus on solving puzzles.

Moss was released for the PlayStation 4 in February 2018.[1][2] In June, a PC version featuring high-resolution graphics was released.[3] A PlayStation 5 version was released in February 2023 for the PlayStation VR2.[4] A non-VR version, Moss: The Forgotten Relic, was released in July 2026.

Plot

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While in a library, the reader finds an old book. As they flip through pages, the reader is transported to a fantasy land contained within the book. The reader meets Quill, a young mouse, and begins an adventure. The kingdom where Quill lives has been overthrown by Sarffog, a fire-breathing snake. After Quill's uncle is captured, the reader guides Quill on an adventure to defeat Sarffog and save her uncle.[5][6]

Gameplay

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Moss is an adventure game viewed from the third-person perspective using the VR (HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, Oculus Quest, PSVR) headset. The player is shown in the game as a masked face and orb. Unlike most games, Quill is aware of the player (the Reader). The player controls Quill, navigating environments and battling enemies. The player also can manipulate the environment to navigate obstacles and solve puzzles.[6] Quill communicates with the player through the use of American Sign Language (ASL) for puzzle hints and emotional responses.[7][8]

The player can change positions to have different perspectives of the world, leaning to see around buildings or standing up and getting an aerial view. There are collectible scrolls that only can be found by changing positions and exploring parts of the world that normally cannot be seen.[9]

On May 21, 2019, a free DLC with additional environments, challenges, storytelling, new puzzles, combat, and weaponry was released.[10]

Reception

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According to Metacritic, Moss received generally favorable reviews.[11] In reviews, both Digital Trends and VentureBeat praised the interaction with Quill and the world design. Both also stated that the game length was on the short side.[9][5]

In a 2017 article, Mike Fahey of Kotaku noted the positive response to Quill's design and use of sign language.[19]

On August 3, 2018, video game record label Materia Collective released the soundtrack digitally, as well as on compact disc and vinyl.[20]

Accolades

[edit]
YearAwardCategoryResultRef.
2017 Game Critics Awards Best VR Game Nominated [21]
2018 The Independent Game Developers' Association Awards Best Action and Adventure Game Nominated [22][23]
Best Start-up Nominated
Golden Joystick Awards Best VR Game Nominated [24][25]
PlayStation Game of the Year Nominated
The Game Awards 2018 Best VR/AR Game Nominated [26]
Best Debut Indie Game Nominated
Gamers' Choice Awards Fan Favorite VR Game Nominated [27]
2019 New York Game Awards Central Park Children's Zoo Award for Best Kids Game Nominated [28]
Coney Island Dreamland Award for Best Virtual Reality Game Nominated
46th Annie Awards Best Virtual Reality Production Nominated [29]
Character Animation in a Video Game Nominated
22nd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Immersive Reality Game of the Year Nominated [30]
Outstanding Achievement in Animation Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design Nominated
National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers Awards Control Design, VR Won [31][32]
Direction in Virtual Reality Won
Sound Mixing in Virtual Reality Nominated
SXSW Gaming Awards VR Game of the Year Nominated [33]
Independent Games Festival Awards Excellence in Audio Nominated [34]
Game Developers Choice Awards Best Debut (Polyarc) Nominated [35]
Best VR/AR Game Nominated
2019 G.A.N.G. Awards Audio of the Year Nominated [36][37]
Music of the Year Nominated
Sound Design of the Year Nominated
Best Dialogue Nominated
Best Original Instrumental ("Legends Old and New") Nominated
Best Original Song ("Home to Me") Nominated
Best Sound Design for an Indie Game Won
Best Music for an Indie Game Won
Best VR Audio Won
15th British Academy Games Awards Game Innovation Nominated [38]
Original Property Nominated

Legacy

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A sequel, Moss: Book II, was announced by Polyarc during Sony's State of Play in 2021 and was released on March 31, 2022.[39][40]

The 2024 game Astro Bot features a bot cameo of the main character Quill as part of the game's celebration of PlayStation's history. Quill can also be bought as an official avatar in VRChat.

In May 2026, Polyarc announced that both Moss titles would be bundled and remade into a single game for non-VR devices called Moss: The Forgotten Relic.[41] This compilation was released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and Windows on July 16, 2026.[42]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ Tamayo, Paul (February 24, 2018). "We Played Moss For PSVR". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  2. ↑ Oh, Ashley (October 30, 2017). "Moss VR is like living inside a storybook". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved November 2, 2017. Update: "Moss, originally planned for a holiday 2017 release, will now launch in February 2018. Sony announced the release date during Paris Games Week."
  3. ↑ Wales, Matt (June 7, 2018). "Delightful virtual reality mouse adventure Moss is now available on PC | Eurogamer.net". www.eurogamer.net. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  4. ↑ Romano, Sal (December 7, 2022). "Moss and Moss: Book II coming to PlayStation VR2 at launch". Gematsu. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 Chan, Stephanie (February 26, 2018). "Moss review — the most enchanting VR adventure stars a plucky mouse". VentureBeat. VentureBeat. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  6. 1 2 Fahey, Mike (June 15, 2017). "VR Game Moss Wants To Make This Tiny Mouse Your Best Friend". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  7. ↑ Frank, Allegra (August 3, 2017). "Gaming's favorite VR mouse uses sign language in the cutest way". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  8. ↑ Fahey, Mike (August 4, 2017). "People Are Falling In Love With A Video Game Mouse Who Uses Sign Language". Kotaku. Gawker Media. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Adorable VR mouse adventure Moss is getting a free DLC chapter next week | Eurogamer". Eurogamer.net. May 14, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  10. 1 2 "Moss for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Moss for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Red Ventures. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  12. ↑ Devore, Jordan (February 27, 2018). "Review: Moss". Destructoid. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Moss". Edge. No. 318. Future plc. May 2018. p. 122.
  14. ↑ Carsillo, Ray (February 27, 2018). "Moss review". EGMNow. EGM Media, LLC. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  15. ↑ Hilliard, Kyle (February 27, 2018). "Moss". Game Informer. GameStop. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  16. ↑ Barbosa, Alessandro (February 27, 2018). "Moss Review: Tiny Triumph". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  17. ↑ McCaffrey, Ryan (March 2, 2018). "Moss Review". IGN. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  18. ↑ Fahey, Mike (August 4, 2017). "People Are Falling In Love With A Video Game Mouse Who Uses Sign Language". Kotaku. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Materia Collective to release the original game soundtrack for Moss". August 3, 2018.
  20. ↑ "Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 2017 (2017 Nominees)". Game Critics Awards. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  21. ↑ Stephenson, Suzi (September 19, 2018). "TIGA Announces Games Industry Awards 2018 Finalists". The Independent Game Developers' Association. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  22. ↑ "2018 Winners". The Independent Game Developers' Association. November 1, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  23. ↑ Hoggins, Tom (September 24, 2018). "Golden Joysticks 2018 nominees announced, voting open now". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  24. ↑ Sheridan, Connor (November 16, 2018). "Golden Joystick Awards 2018 winners: God of War wins big but Fortnite gets Victory Royale". GamesRadar+. Future plc. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  25. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (November 13, 2018). "The Game Awards 2018 nominees led by God of War, Red Dead Redemption 2". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  26. ↑ Glyer, Mike (November 19, 2018). "2018 Gamers' Choice Awards Nominees". File 770. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  27. ↑ Keyes, Rob (January 3, 2019). "2018 New York Game Awards Nominees Revealed". Screen Rant. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  28. ↑ Flores, Terry (December 3, 2018). "'Incredibles 2,' 'Ralph Breaks the Internet' Top Annie Awards Nominations". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  29. ↑ Makuch, Eddie (January 10, 2019). "God Of War, Spider-Man Lead DICE Awards; Here's All The Nominees". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  30. ↑ "Nominee List for 2018". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. February 11, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  31. ↑ "Winner list for 2018: God of War breaks record". National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers. March 13, 2019. Retrieved March 13, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  32. ↑ Trent, Logan (February 11, 2019). "Here Are Your 2019 SXSW Gaming Awards Finalists!". South by Southwest. Retrieved February 16, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  33. ↑ Fogel, Stephanie (January 3, 2019). "'Return of the Obra Dinn' Leads IGF Awards Nominees". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
  34. ↑ Good, Owen S. (January 4, 2019). "Red Dead Redemption 2 tops list of Game Developers Choice nominees". Polygon. Retrieved January 5, 2018.
  35. ↑ Lagumbay, Emmanuel (February 14, 2019). "2019 G.A.N.G. Awards Finalists". Game Audio Network Guild. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  36. ↑ Fogel, Stefanie (March 21, 2019). "'God of War' Wins Six G.A.N.G. Awards, Including Audio of the Year". Variety. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
  37. ↑ Fogel, Stefanie (March 14, 2019). "'God of War,' 'Red Dead 2' Lead BAFTA Game Awards Nominations". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  38. ↑ McWhertor, Michael (July 8, 2021). "Adorable PlayStation VR game Moss gets a sequel". Polygon. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
  39. ↑ "Moss: Book II launches March 31". Gematsu. March 17, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  40. ↑ Xbox, Pure (May 15, 2026). "Beloved VR Game 'Moss' Is Finally Getting The Xbox Treatment In 2026". Pure Xbox. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  41. ↑ Romano, Sal (June 6, 2026). "Moss: The Forgotten Relic launches July 16". Gematsu. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
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