• Source: Moss: Book II

      • Moss: Book II is a 2022 virtual reality adventure game developed and published by American video game development studio Polyarc. A sequel to Moss, the game follows Quill as she ventures though the land to battle the arcane to save the land of Moss. Moss: Book II was released in March 2022 for PlayStation 4 via PlayStation VR before receiving Meta Quest 2 and Windows ports later that year. A PlayStation 5 version via PlayStation VR2 was released in February 2023.


      Gameplay


      The game is similar to its predecessor, but has some key additions. The player again controllers the Reader, who helps guide Quill through different areas and solve puzzles. The Reader can now create vine bridges and destroy objects by gripping them. Quill now has the ability to climb, allowing for more verticality in the levels, alongside new weapons, like the hammer. The hammer requires the reader to lift it up in the air to hit enemies.


      Development


      The game was developed by Polyarc. They stated the goal was to create an experience that would take advantage of the medium's strengths and not be able to be replicated "if you played on Steam... on a flat monitor". The team stated that they didn't want to reinvent the formula, making their foundation "Don’t mess up what we figured out for the first one, we landed in a really good spot". According to Polyarc, players frequently said they wanted a bigger world and more variation in environments, and so effort was put into expanding the scope. The game was also designed to be more open, with backtracking through previous areas and collectibles hidden throughout levels. For the Meta Quest 2 port, the team focused on optimizing what materials and shaders were used, with specific cuts being made to maintain performance. Attention was given to making sure the game wouldn't make players motion sick, with the player stationary in the game, and the cuts between different areas relying on a fade to black. Puzzles were designed to not be overly complicated, as to not make the player take off the headset to look up a solution.


      Reception



      The PlayStation 4 version of Moss: Book II received "generally favorable reviews", and the PlayStation 5 version received "universal acclaim", according to Metacritic.
      Road to VR enjoyed the visual improvements over the game's predecessor, saying that, "Each segment is a beautifully detailed diorama with masterful attention to lighting and composition". Android Central liked the bigger scope of Book II, but felt that the PSVR's aging hardware held back the title, with its limited tracking making it difficult to move the controller around. IGN praised the expanded combat options, and the way the new weapons factored into platforming, "Not only does it elevate combat beyond simply swinging a sword, puzzles also use each ability creatively". UploadVR criticized the short length of the title, saying that "the game ends just as its best ideas are starting to be put through their paces, with further potential left unexplored". While Eurogamer felt the addition of only one new enemy type limited the gameplay possiblites, they praised the new additions to the franchise, "the emotional twists and the new gameplay mechanics introduced later on ensured I was left wanting more by the end".
      The game won the Best VR/AR Game Award at The Game Awards 2022.


      = Accolades

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      References

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