Do you remember Quill? The little mouse that had made us soften so much in 2018 with Moss? If you have a PSVR headset, you have surely played it. Well, Quill is back; she is back with a longer and more beautiful adventure than Moss. With this review we will explain why Moss Book II is a title that can’t miss from your collection of VR games per PlayStation.
The review of Moss Book II
Moss Book II, exactly like the first moss is a third person platformer with combat and puzzle elements. Our task is to go through five levels, alternating between hack’n’slash-style fights and puzzles to solve. The first episode of the series is still considered by many to be one of the best VR adventures available for PlayStation today. After the great success of Moss, Polyarc set to work for a second adventure by further improving the formula: Moss Book II is longer and more demanding, proposes a better structured level design and it gets a graphic rendering that many of us would not expect from a viewer who, honestly, is starting to suffer from its age.
The story of Moss Book II begins immediately after the events of the first episode. After rescuing Uncle Argus from the cursed castle, Quill discovers that a winged tyrant is hunting her. Therefore, she is forced to return to the castle to end the reign of the arcana.
The continuation of the first story, in every sense
As already mentioned, the designers have chosen not to interrupt Quill’s story in the slightest. If we have already played the first episode we will find ourselves in the same situation as the previous ending and we will start again from there. And if you haven’t played it (yet) don’t worry, you’ll be given a summary anyway. Returning to the castle we will be presented with the same mechanics and the same enemies, so it will be very easy to get back into the flow of the game. At first we will understandably be invested with a sense of Déjà vu because of all these things already seen. But don’t worry. because they will soon be proposed to us new game elements such as the ability to change the environment or new weapons to add to our arsenal.
A revised and extended level design
The first episode of Moss was a fairly straightforward platformer. We crossed a series of environments and it was quite clear in which direction to go and, above all, that there was little use in retracing our steps. With Book II this doesn’t happen anymore. The levels, while always having a certain level of linearity, open to a more complex exploration; obliging us, for example, to go back to solve a puzzle once you have the right tool.
The other aspect that strikes a lot of the level design is represented by the care of the settings. During the game we are led to go through a series of unique and extremely well-kept scenarios. Beyond the undeniable aesthetic side, the setting is never built inappropriately but integrates seamlessly with puzzles and sometimes offers interesting strategic ideas. From a qualitative point of view, it practically makes us forget that we have a viewer of the last generation in our head.
Wanting to spend a few words on the puzzles to be solved, in addition to integrating with the environment, we never perceive them as “too many” with respect to what we are doing or how we are moving within the level. Everything is perfectly calibrated to carry us on with the reading of Quill’s adventure book.
Emotions at the center of the stage
The most important aspect of the story, and also the contribution that only virtual reality can make, is represented by involvement and the sense of attachment that we will develop towards Quill. On the one hand there is the mechanism by which the story is told; that is the book that opens in front of us and from which we read the exploits of Quill, as if we were the narrator. On the other hand we find the way in which Quill reacts to our interactions or behaves in some pivotal moments of the story. Having her in front of us in such an immersive way allows us to develop a relationship that we could almost define as one of affection with the character. From the point of view of game design, we would like to say that being able to build such a strong bond between the player and Quill by composing a thousand small details is truly a noteworthy undertaking.
Speaking of emotions, however, precisely because we find ourselves so strongly linked to Quill, we often have the impression that there is something more to expect; unspoken things, actions still to be done. This is why at the end of the story (longer than the first chapter, but not very long with its six / seven hours) we find ourselves a bit perplexed, as if we were, again, in the middle of something. This slight sense of dissatisfaction can be partially filled by retracing the levels to collect the latest collectibles, but it still remains.
The Moss Book II review at a glance
Moss Book II is the continuation of a fairy tale that began in 2018told with the virtual reality but left unfinished. We liked it so much that we think it’s worth taking it just because you have a PSVR. The game is aesthetically fascinating and both in terms of level design and mechanics represents a step forward compared to the first Moss. Unfortunately, it is correct to speak “only” of a step forward because this second chapter, although longer and more complex than the first, leaves in the end a small sense of emptiness for a story that can and must continue. And this it already makes us think about the third book.