Moss: The Forgotten Relic is a feast for the eyes, ears and heart! I played as Quill, a tiny hero and I also played as The Watchful Spirit, who helps her.
The Backstory of Moss: The Forgotten Relic
In the demo for Moss: The Forgotten Relic, I wasn’t told a lot about the backstory. But I knew I was looking for an item called the King’s Glass, which was somewhere near his Throne. I also had to watch out for something called The Arcane, which is dangerous and could be hiding anywhere. I expect the storyline will be explained in more detail in the full game.
I played as Quill, a lovely female mouse, who was small and yet so brave and true. I also played as The Watchful Spirit and was an actual character in the game, which was really different. My purpose was to guide and protect Quill, and she trusted I would take care of her. Quill has been a character in a few VR games by the developer, Polyarc. But they wanted to make a game which allowed non-VR players to enter the world of Quill too. I’m glad they did because it’s a magnificent place!!
The Look and Feel of Moss: The Forgotten Relic
Quill’s adventures take place in many different regions and biomes. In order to give me a well-rounded experience, showcasing all that the game has to offer, the demo jumped around from one biome to another. It’s the same storyline throughout and the same character, so it worked well. It gave me a good feel for all the wonders the full game will hold. Each region was unique, super detailed and beautifully handcrafted. They resembled little dioramas, and I really liked being part of them, exploring a mythic land which was slowly being reclaimed by nature.
In addition to playing as Quill, I also played as a Watchful Spirit, aka The Reader. That’s because, in the original VR game featuring Quill, the game began in a library. As the person playing the game flipped through a book, they were transported to a fantasy land contained within its pages, and actually became part of the story. They were The Reader. This same theme was carried over to Moss: The Forgotten Relic.
In the opening scene, Quill looked in a mirror and saw me there, waiting to help her! As the demo proceeded, she often turned around and gestured to me. I thought that was really charming!
There’s a great soundtrack for Moss: The Forgotten Relic, featuring calm, quiet, pensive musical themes. The cut scenes are wonderfully voice-acted. However, I chose to turn on the subtitles because I found that I misunderstood some words without it. I liked that I had that option.
I had a tiny sword that I could use to break wooden crates and large ceramic urns. The sound when I did that was so satisfying, kind of a cracking, shattering sound! Plus, the impact released dust, which will be valuable in the full game.
I noticed as I played that some areas inside buildings had framed portraits on the walls. However, the portraits were not of humans but tiny woodland creatures like Quill. I really appreciate when devs put that level of detail into a game, details that may not even be noticed by every player!
The Gameplay of Moss: The Forgotten Relic
Moss: The Forgotten Relic was an emotional and atmospheric puzzle adventure. There was a short tutorial and storyline wrap-up at the beginning of the demo. After that, I was also taught new skills and powers as they were needed. I was a little confused at first, but soon figured out what I was doing. As The Reader, I controlled a glowing blue orb with magical powers. It acted as my hands, and I could use that orb to move objects in order to help Quill, as well as heal her if her energy got low.
In the demo, each small region had one or two environmental puzzles for me to solve. When that was done, I moved onto a different small region. I could go back to previous regions if I wanted. For example, if I gained a new power which would have been helpful in a previous region, I could go back and use it.
I quickly learned to look for mouse paw scratch marks on surfaces; they told me what path I should take. Very clever!
I also learned that Quill cannot swim and will drown if she goes in water. So I kept her away from water after that!! When Quill dies, she comes back at the beginning of that very small biome; it’s not a terrible gameplay setback.
The demo for Moss: The Forgotten Relic includes combat. I’m not very good at combat; I tend to avoid games that have it. Fortunately, in the full version of the game, combat will be optional. I would definitely prefer to play just the storyline adventure of the game, but that’s just me!! Many players love combat so it’s great that we can choose how we want to play.
In the demo, there are scrolls here and there to collect. They don’t play a big part in the demo, but they will be more important in the full game. There are also glowing vines here and there which The Reader can connect and make into usable bridges for Quill. That’s yet another way The Reader watches out for her.
Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed the time I spent playing Moss: The Forgotten Relic. It was atmospheric, detailed and beautiful as well as full of myth and ancient magic. I loved the movements of little Quill; sometimes she looked right at me with a knowing stare. Like she knew I had her back! Sometimes she examined something and her tail wiggled a bit; she was just very animated and lovable. The demo is available now on Steam. I believe it may be removed after the upcoming Steam Next Fest, though. It has a save feature as you are playing, but if you exit the game, you must start at the beginning again. However, the demo takes less than an hour to complete. The full game is expected to release on July 16, 2026.
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