Moss: The Forgotten Relic promises a charming flat-screen platformer, but is it enough to stand out?
Announced last month, VR platformers Moss and Moss: Book II are coming to non-VR formats, bundled together as Moss: The Forgotten Relic. It’s been a long time coming: more than eight years have passed since Moss first released on PSVR and Steam and in that time, I’ve thought to myself multiple times, “I wish I could play Moss on a flat screen!”. Try as I might, I’m just not a fan of VR. There’s something about having a hot and heavy VR headset strapped to my face that I’ve never been able to fully get on board with, regardless of how good the game or experience is.
And so, the upcoming release of Moss: The Forgotten Relic is music to my ears. We don’t even have to wait that long: this bundle of both Moss games is releasing on PC and consoles in just over a month, on 16th July. Better yet, there’s a free demo you can try right now on Steam, giving you a taste of what to expect. It’s a fairly short demo, taking a snippet out of Moss: Book II for you to try, but it’s well worth jumping into if you want a taste of this mouse’s adventure.
I’ve played through the demo and it’s left me with mixed feelings. I’m still very much of the opinion that Moss can be very much enjoyed as a standard game, outside of VR. This was never a fully immersive VR game that put you in the shoes of a character in a first-person perspective: in VR, it’s like you’re looking down on the action. A giant god leering over a tiny world. And so it’s translated to a flat screen without too many huge changes to the gameplay.
That’s the main issue, really. It feels like there are some leftovers from VR that don’t work quite as effectively on a standard screen. Moss presents you with one small environment and, when you move through a door, the screen fades to black before loading in the next area. On VR, it made sense. But on a flat screen, it’s a little jarring – especially when we’re used to large, open environments that we can explore with no loading screens.
But maybe it’s a purposeful effect left in to emphasise the setup of Moss: you see, this 3D adventure is presented as if you’re in the pages of a storybook, so each fade to black represents the turning of a page.
As you move through Moss and Moss: Book II – both games remain separate, selectable from the main menu as you load the game – you’ll explore 3D environments, fight against enemies and solve a number of puzzles. More than a standard platform game, Moss requires you to use your brain to manipulate the environment to reach new areas and a whole lot more.
Our reviewer loved Moss when it launched on PSVR back in 2018. And while I think the game still has legs, that it’s still worth playing eight years later on a flat screen, I’m not sure if it’s going to be quite as impactful. On VR, Moss and Moss: Book II had less competition: they felt like two-of-a-kind. Playing on a standard screen, there are a lot more platforming/adventure games to be pitted against. I’m not sure if they are going to be special enough to really stand out – but I’m still glad to get to play them without needing to be strapped into a VR headset.
Moss: The Forgotten Relic launches on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, Switch 2 and PC on 16th July. You can try the Steam demo right now, completely free.
