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Sequel to one of the most famous and admired VR games, Moss: Book II finally reveals the continuation of the adventures of the little mouse Quill, which the first part had left in suspense. An epic and magical epic that keeps all its promises.
In this spring of 2022, the PlayStation VR has entered its last moments of life. At almost six years old, the machine is about to be replaced in the more or less short term by its successor, the PlayStation VR2. But the PS4’s venerable virtual reality headset hasn’t quite said its last word yet and couldn’t leave the stage until it welcomed the sequel to the one that was one of its first must-have hits in 2018. : Moss. This has been done since March 31 and the release of the aptly named Moss: Book IIincluding our comrades from gamekult just released the full test.
At the heart of Moss lies the epic little mouse Quill, embarking on a heroic quest to rid his kingdom of the forces of evil. Concocted by the American studio Polyarc, founded in 2015 by veterans of Bungie, the title has the specificity of its unusual use of virtual reality, offering the player to adopt not the point of view of the heroine of the adventure, but that of a supernatural figure towering over the stage and giving Quill the help and protection she needs to move on. We thus guide the little mouse in the crossing of a series of paintings presenting themselves as wildly enchanting dioramas, via mechanics of puzzle-platformer very clever. We are also invited to use the motion detection functions of the DualShock 4 controller to manipulate ancient platforms and mechanisms that will allow Quill to make his way through these hostile environments.
Being part of the direct continuity of its predecessor (its story begins exactly at the place and at the second where Book I stopped), Moss: Book II takes up to the letter these concepts which had already made all the brilliance of the latter. He brings a few novelties, certainly few, but always very clever: new weapons and skills, granted both to Quill and to the “Reader” who serves as the player’s avatar, give just the right amount of variety and renewal. to a significantly longer epic than the original. While we could have criticized the first episode for its brevity – we saw the end of it in just over 2 and a half hours – the sequel doubles this duration to reach between 5 and 6 hours of play.
Above all, all these mechanics of mutual aid between Quill and the player bring a new dimension to the striking emotional connection that the game manages to generate with the character. We feel more than ever personally involved in the fate of the little mouse, concerned in the first degree by the difficult trials that make him go through a scenario of very unexpected depth. Beneath its childish fairy tale trappings, it offers more than its share of dramatic breaks in tone and twists, and tackles complex themes with great intelligence and subtlety. A great and beautiful journey from which we cannot come out indifferent.