Moss: Book II Interview-How Polyarc Built on the Original’s Fundaments
VR enthusiasts have awaited moss Book II. Moss, who arrived in VR several years ago, placed us in a storybook setting. He is the first to define VR platformers and Astro Bot and Ven. You play in a third-person viewpoint, so you are not the protagonist but a Spirit Reader who assists Quill, the young mouse trying to save her uncle.
It was a memorable VR experience that helped her to navigate through environments and solve puzzles. The second book is almost here, and Polyarc gave a preview. The core experience is still there, but there are new puzzles and a castle to explore. There are also new enemies.
We wanted to learn more about Book II, so we met Joshua Stiksma (principal engineer, design director at Polyarc). He was kind enough to share more information about what we can anticipate.
A Longer Journey
I began by asking how the response to Moss affected Book II’s development. Stickman says that Polyarc is “really proud” of the game’s reception but that there are “a few areas that we really want to improve upon.” She also said that the most common feedback she received was that people wanted more. The team started to think about how Book II could be more engaging for players.
This included opening up exploration. Stickman said that this was because it is “more non-linear” and allows players to go off the beaten track. Book II allows you to return to previously explored areas using new tools that unlock new paths. However, the story will not change depending on how much exploration you do. It is still “mostly linear”, and the main story takes several hours.
I thought about the story, and I asked if Book II had a more definitive end than the original game. Book I had several unresolved plot points. Stickman said they were trying to address the issue, but Polyarc confirmed that there are many stories in this world, and therefore we don’t want to close the book completely. They’re still providing opportunities for storytelling, but he is confident that players will feel there’s more to the story.
Quill’s New Horizons
The original book’s ending was open to interpretation, so it was natural that they were unsure if Book II had been planned. Stickman confirmed that Polyarc didn’t immediately move to the sequel. They wanted more people to play after the positive reception. They had a small team, so they concentrated on porting to other platforms, such as Steam, Oculus Store and Meta Quest. Book II was developed after the Twilight Garden DLC had been released.
