Moss: The Forgotten Relic Review: A Charmingly Flawed VR Port

For years, the Moss series has been a standout title for VR enthusiasts, leaving those of us who suffer from motion sickness or simply lack the hardware on the outside looking in. Developer Polyarc has finally addressed this gap with Moss: The Forgotten Relic, a flat-screen package that brings both the original game and Moss: Book 2 to Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, and Xbox Series X. While the transition from virtual reality to a traditional screen comes with a few lingering camera frustrations, the core experience remains a magical, heartfelt adventure.

You play as the Reader, an entity observing the journey of a young, heroic mouse named Quill. The narrative unfolds like a storybook, with your role being to guide Quill through various environments—ranging from lush forests to a foreboding castle—by manipulating the world around her. You move blocks, elevate platforms, and even take control of enemies to clear the path forward. It is a simple, tactile premise that feels surprisingly at home on a standard controller.

The Highs and Lows of a Fixed Camera

The primary friction point in this port is the camera. Because the game was originally built for VR, you do not have full control over your perspective. Instead, you control Quill with one thumbstick and your hand as the Reader with the other, leaving the camera fixed in specific angles. For the most part, this works, but it can make judging distances for platforming leaps difficult. There is one specific section near the end of the first half that feels particularly punishing, requiring a level of precision that the static camera angles simply weren't designed to accommodate.

Combat, too, is a mixed bag. The early encounters are somewhat repetitive, acting more as a test of patience as you mow down waves of enemies. However, the experience improves significantly in the second half of the game as Quill gains access to new weapons, allowing for more variety and strategic depth in combat encounters.

Why Quill Remains the Star

Despite these technical hurdles, the heart of the game remains its personality. The bond between the Reader and Quill is genuinely moving. She reacts to your presence, celebrates your successes with high fives, and grows into a brave, empathetic hero over the course of the 10-hour campaign. The developers even manage to make the occasional absence of that bond feel impactful; late in Book 2, you briefly control a different mouse named Sahima who is much more cynical and impatient with your guidance, providing a stark, entertaining contrast to your time with Quill.

If you can look past the occasionally stubborn camera, Moss: The Forgotten Relic is a rewarding adventure. It isn't a perfect port, but it is a successful one that captures the wonder of its source material without needing a headset.