Moss Book 2 Review: A must-see adventure for PlayStation VR

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moss book 2 review a must see adventure for playstation vr
moss book 2 review a must see adventure for playstation vr

A must-see new game for PlayStation VR: Mouse Quill is back in better shape than ever.

 

The first Moss wrote a significant page in the history of virtual reality, as the first work of the Polyarc team knew how to enchant the player with an experience as simple as few, but incredibly delicate and immersive. A few years after the debut of the first book on PSVR (for all the details on the progenitor of the series, run to reread the review of Moss for PlayStation VR), the Seattle studio is back in the fairytale universe of Moss to tell us about the second part of the adventure of the tender mouse Quill. Taking on the role of the “Reader“, we then put on Sony’s helmet and dove in Moss: Book 2 to rejoin our adorable “twin” and help her fulfill her heroic destiny.

The story continues

As anticipated to our microphones by Doug Bouton of Polyarc (by the way, have you already browsed the interview with the developers of Moss: Book 2?), Moss’s second book opens exactly where the previous volume left off.

With the help of the “Reader“, the tiny heroine on whose shoulders the fate of an entire world rests has overthrown Sarffog and saved his uncle Argus, but the defeat of the gigantic snake is not the end of his mission, but the beginning of an even greater and Once the metal reptile that for years prevented its discovery, the time has come for the heroic Quill of the Glade to recover the Crystal that the king of his people hid during the catastrophic “Night of Ashes” And prepare to wage war against the Beyonder, so that the archenemy of Moss’s microverse does not take possession of all five magical stones in turn. A task that is far from easy, also because a frightening winged tyrant is on the trail of the brave warrior who has inherited the green Crystal that belonged to the champion of the elves and who aims to interrupt the merciless dominion of the Arcanum. Without going into too much detail in order not to deprive you of the pleasure of discovery in any way, the Faceless person interpreted by the user will again have to guide and watch over the nibbler, as well as use a wide range of unprecedented powers to help her overcome increasingly intricate environmental puzzles (but never frustrating) and to take down the many enemies that infest the Castle of the Arcanum and its suggestive surroundings.

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If the original book already bore the “Reader” to establish a very strong bond with little Quill, in Moss: Book 2 the almost symbiotic relationship between the two protagonists of the metavideoludic tale is even more solid and evident, partly because the plot offers truly touching moments capable of unleashing the empathy of “Reader“, and a bit because the development team actually has dramatically increased the number of situations that push this and the mouse to interact and mix their respective resources.

With a longevity of about 6 hours, depending on the time required to overcome the puzzles or in any case dedicated to the discovery of the numerous collectibles hidden almost everywhere, the campaign chains to the helmet for its entire duration, giving an intoxicating whirlwind of emotions.

United more than ever

Anyone familiar with Moss will know that during the previous adventure not only did the player control the movements of the swordsman, triggering the very simple attack patterns, but by shaking the ethereal sphere represented by the DualShock 4 he had the task of leafing through the pages of the book in purely narrative moments. , take control of enemies in battle to use their specific abilities, or perhaps lift objects that are too bulky for the thin Quill.

Although the moveset and the combat system have remained the same, the difference between the two works of Polyarc is to be found in the need to continuously access the powers acquired by the “Reader” along the way and change her twin’s weapon. Let’s start from these, specifying that where last time Quill could only wield a sword, this time the nibbler can put away her faithful blade for wield a mighty hammer or throw a chakram. Already revealed by the trailers that preceded the launch of Moss: Book 2, the slow hammer is essential to break down the armor of the most resistant opponents and make them vulnerable, while the unprecedented rotating ring has proved to be the ideal solution to annihilate the most enemies. insidious without giving up the possibility of maintaining a certain safety distance.

If the different characteristics of the three instruments of death could also differentiate by themselves the playful experience and at the same time counterbalance the low complexity of the dynamics linked to the clash, also dispelling the repetitiveness that at times characterized the first book, Polyarc instead tried to further expand the range of available shares, for the purpose of enrich both the struggle and the solving of puzzles.

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When the tiny heroine raises her weapon, her traveling companion can infuse it with her own power, allowing otherwise unattainable actions: by charging the sword, Quill can launch a frontal attack, damage any obstacle in her path and even cross a ravine, while the enhancement of the chakram allows you to stick the tool in a particular point of the landscape and call it back like a boomerang, destroying metal enemies and devices found in the air.

The most interesting however is the hammer, since its loading favors the momentary creation of a copy that the “Reader“can operate even when the mouse is very far away. A mechanic that comes in handy for attacking multiple targets simultaneously, keeping a precise threat at a distance or perhaps activating a machine in the distance.

To the powers linked to the weapons are then added the ability of the Faceless of interact with the environment to create bridges with the branches (similar to what Groot did in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy) or make vines bloom to climb to reach elevated places, take shortcuts or whatever.

And if fundamentally the possession of enemies has not undergone any changes, during our test we greatly appreciated the situations in which the solution of a puzzle prompted us to turn a little earth pig into a pinball ball: imitating in everything and for All the features of the electric foosball table, the fun mechanics require the player to throw the controlled insect into cracks or even walls, so that it bounces off enemies out of Quill’s reach. In short, there are several expedients devised by Polyarc for flesh out and articulate the already satisfying play component of Moss, and although the limits imposed by the controller’s tracking tend to give some headaches from time to time – especially in the most hectic situations – it must be said that everything works wonderfully. To tell the truth, the only reservation we have towards this very inspired sequel concerns the management of the equipment and the replacement of the weapon in use, which in fact it does not happen through convenient shortcutsbut it forces you to open a radial menu and repeatedly break the pace of advancement.

A virtual dream

Moving on to the artistic front, we must first of all reiterate how the world imagined by the Polyarc guys continues to appear incredibly beautiful and detailed. From the lush marble halls to the gloomy forges hidden in the cellars of the Ancient Castle, passing through the enchanting snow-capped mountain or the lush forest of the elves, each of the digital stages offered by Moss: Book 2 can be seen as a majestic diorama overflowing with detailshidden items and shatterable items.

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If on the one hand the team’s choice to include more exits in individual rooms and to make the game world more interconnected avoids the corridor effect of the first book, on the other hand we are convinced that the linearity of the first Moss is more suited to the simple formula playfulness of the Polyarc product: combined with the absence of indications and a communication once again based only on sign language, the backtracking required in some phases of the adventure in fact risks making the player spin around in circles and away from his goal.

Speaking of sign language, one of Moss’s greatest strengths: Book 2 is certainly identifiable in prodigious expressiveness of its protagonist which also in this tour has been animated with great care, so that in case of need it could be understood by the “Reader“and show him with his thin paws the key to solving a puzzle.

Between a euphoric ballad after passing a boss or a five beaten with the DualShock 4, without forgetting the moments in which the mouse stares at her twin to communicate an emotion or the presence of a danger, Quill will always be able to devise a nice method to make herself understand, instilling in the user the desire to be able to pamper or reassure her in the most delicate moments of the story. The whole is finally framed by a light and delicate soundtrack, but always careful to accompany the tones assumed by the narration with punctuality.

 

Moss Book 2

Version Analyzed PlayStation 4

Moss: Book 2 is a loving and fascinating title even more than the first book. Using the original formula as a starting point on which to build the sequel, the Polyarc studio has managed to improve every single aspect, creating an even more engaging narrative plot, an articulated and varied playful system, and last but not least a phenomenal and suggestive artistic direction. . Like its predecessor, Moss: Book 2 is in short a rare gem, and an experience that no PlayStation VR owner should absolutely deny.