Here's more mousy gameplay from adorable PSVR platform puzzler Moss
Quill I am.
Developer Polyarc has released new gameplay footage of its adorable, mouse-themed PSVR platform puzzler Moss, due to arrive on PS4 soon.
Moss charts the adventures of the tiny Quill as she journeys through a gorgeously rendered, human-sized fantasy world. Its first unusual trick is its clever use of a hybrid first-person / third-person perspective. Although a cursory glance might suggest similarities to the sweepingly cinematic, surprisingly effective cameras used in the likes of Chronos and Edge of Nowhere, Moss is designed to give you a far greater sense presence in the world.
Rather than merely being a passive observer, Moss casts you in the role of an actual being, a spirit known as a Reader. You view the world through the Reader's eyes, and can fully interact with everything around you. Even Quill is totally aware of your presence.
Polyarc's focus is on finding ways to more closely connect players with the unfolding action and characters within Moss' world; that philosophy even carries over to underlying mechanics themselves, with a core puzzle system that plays out like a solo co-operative adventure, forcing you to choreograph your movements in unison with Quill's.
You're tasked with both controlling Quill directly, and, in your omniscient spirit role, with manipulating elements of the environment in order to make progress. A very early example in the new gameplay video above shows the flow of a fairly simple puzzle, in which you need to drag pillars up and down in order to create a navigable path for Quill to follow.
The whole thing is delightfully presented too, with strikingly rich world design, sweeping music, and some impeccable animation on Quill herself. She's been designed with such a sense of presence and personality that it's hard not to form at least a bit of an attachment just from watching the video. And apparently Moss features little touches like being able to reach out and feel Quill's heartbeat to sense her current wellbeing.
Following Moss' slight delay to February at the end of last year, Polyarc is being a little cautious about offering a final release date. "We know that everyone is waiting for the official Moss release date," it said in a tweet earlier today, "We're still on track and are busy putting the finishing touches on the game". Hopefully that means it'll be with us soon.