Like with weapon charging, sometimes a quirk of perspective will block Quill from taking the weapon, wasting precious seconds in heated fights. Push a button to open a radial menu, grab a weapon with the touch controller, and drag it to Quill. Just switching weapons can be a drag, too, with seemingly one too many steps. When you’re solving puzzles, this is just an annoyance, but it can be deadly in combat. Even then, there were times when the game just wouldn’t register the second step, when I reached out to charge the weapon, until I leaned to shift my perspective and tried again. At first, this felt so ponderously slow it discouraged me from using the attacks at all, though it started feeling natural with a little bit of practice. To activate these abilities, you hold the attack button to have Quill lift her weapon, tap it with your touch controller to charge, then hit attack again to launch it. These new abilities add a lot of fun and versatility to combat (which is probably the weakest part of Moss), but have a few drawbacks. First, Quill gains a dash attack with her sword, then a chakram that can stick to walls and be recalled, and finally a massive hammer to smash armored foes. Quill can’t take too many hits before falling, and healing is slow, so battles are more about clever teamwork than brute force.Īs the game goes on, both combat and puzzle-solving get an extra wrinkle from new abilities. Sometimes that means flinging armored pillbugs at the boss like you’re playing pinball sometimes it’s grounding a winged foe to give Quill the chance to strike. You’ll be dodging the bosses’ attacks along with their lackeys as Quill while the Reader sets up opportunities for her to counter. There are only three in the game, but each one is a major test. When all the pieces come together, the partnership between Quill and the Reader feels real, like sharing victory and defeat with a trusted friend.īoss battles push the combat to its most complex and thrilling heights. While you dodge enemies and swing your sword as Quill, you’re also flinging foes around the screen with your free hand, creating paths to give her the high ground, and charging weapons for special attacks. In combat, this coordinated dance of hand gestures is far more exciting. When the Reader swings a platform with Quill atop it to get her to a distant ledge, it feels precarious and intimate in the way that handling a pet does, even though you control both parties. So much of the game seems designed to foster a connection between Quill and the player. If you’re hoping to be stumped, you may be disappointed, but there’s a different kind of satisfaction on offer. Though it’s a puzzle platformer, puzzles aren’t terribly challenging in Moss: Book II. Moss: Book II has more gorgeous, varied levels than the original. There’s hardly an interaction in the game that doesn’t require coordination between Quill and the Reader, making Moss: Book II more of a full-body sport than the original. You open the game by returning a lost sword to Quill, and within moments, you’re making paths, grabbing enemies to delay their attacks, and reaching out to heal her wounds. I think the first Moss’ opening scene is more impactful - I distinctly remember thinking “I would do anything for this mouse” when Quill stepped into view - but however you first encounter her is going to stick. The first time you see Quill dart onscreen to greet you is magical. The sequel builds in more interactions between Quill and the Reader from the very start. You’ll still help Quill in all the ways you did before, and more, but this time, your bond feels deeper, more urgent, and more terrifyingly fragile. Moss: Book II continues that dynamic while complicating your relationship with Quill - and the role of Readers as a whole. Even though you literally control her movement, you always feel more like a partner than a commander. As the Reader, you guide Quill (who you also control) on her adventure by manipulating the environment - but the story is always Quill’s. You play as the Reader, a visitor from another world visible only to a select few. It’s about Quill, a brave little mouse who gives up everything to save her world from an army of robotic insects known as the Arcane. Polyarc’s 2018 puzzle platformer Mossmakes you a character in its world, but the story isn’t about you. Quill is cute as a button, but don’t underestimate her.
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