Game: Moss: The Forgotten Relic
Genre: Action, Puzzle, Platformer, Adventure
System: Nintendo Switch 2 (Also on Nintendo Switch, Steam (Windows), Xbox X/S and PS5)
Developer | Publisher: Polyarc, Blackbird Interactive | Polyarc
Age Rating: US 10+ | EU 7
Price: US $19.99 | UK £15.99 | EU € 18,99
Release Date: July 16th, 2026
Review code used, with many thanks to UberStrategist.
Keen for more players to experience the delights of Moss, the team at Polyarc has created Moss: The Forgotten Relic, a reimagined release of the VR games Moss, Moss: Book II, and the Twilight Garden DLC.
SooziQ shared her thoughts on the Steam demo, and I get to play the full version on the Nintendo Switch 2. Will Moss: The Forgotten Relic be one to remember, or like its relic… one to forget?
One Little Mouse
In Moss: The Forgotten Relic, you choose whether to start with Book I or Book II. With either book, as soon as you start, you know you are in for a treat. The camera pans down through a great hall-cum-library, which wouldn’t look out of place in Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, and rests upon a lectern holding a book entitled Moss. I opted to start with Book I.
You, as the Reader, are shown how to open and turn the pages of the book, and with that the narration begins. Moss: The Forgotten Relic is fully voiced, with subtitles optional. The voice actor brings to life each character so wonderfully that it makes this adventure a truly immersive experience.
You learn about the Cinder Night, when the serpent, Sarffog, and the Arcane armies emerged from the underworld and ransacked the castle. They sought the King’s Glass, a fabled relic of unprecedented power, but they failed to find it. Sensing danger, the Sprites sent their Champion, fortified with their own Glass, to challenge the serpent. Once the survivors were safe in the Clearing, Sir Argus returned to assist the Sprite Champion. Together, they sealed the way to the castle, thus protecting the realm. Unfortunately, the Sprite Champion suffered too many injuries, and a tree grew where he fell. This tree became the protector of the Sprite Glass, waiting for another hero, and this is where you join the story.
The action moves from the pages of a book being read aloud to being within the story. The cutscene continues as the unlikely hero, a small mouse called Quill, is introduced. Whilst out adventuring, she discovers the Sprite Glass, or perhaps the Champion’s tree has chosen its new hero. As Quill picks up the Glass, she is joined by you, the Reader. As a reader, it is your responsibility to guide and support Quill. Her first task is to return to her uncle, Sir Argus, to show him her discovery.
Her uncle immediately understands the enormity of Quill’s discovery, and telling her to stay put, he rushes off into the night. Whilst waiting for her uncle’s return, a Starthing visits her and tells her that her uncle has been captured. A Starthing is a mischievous creature, usually only talked about in campfire stories. However, with the thought that her uncle is in danger, Quill, guided by you, follows the Starthing through the portal towards the castle. At the end of each chapter, you return to the great hall-cum-library to hear more of the story read aloud from the book.
The Role of The Reader
The first book of Moss: The Forgotten Relic has lots of environmental puzzles, ranging from creating pathways by simply moving blocks to working out the controls for raising or lowering platforms. You will eventually control the beetle-like Arcane to activate pressure plates and similar mechanisms. Nothing is overly complicated, but the puzzles do get more challenging as you progress. However, to help you, there are scratch marks on ledges or walls, showing you where to interact, throughout both books.
Dotted throughout the lands of Moss are scrolls, along with barrels and crates of dust. The scrolls in both books of Moss: The Forgotten Relic unlock stained-glass pictures, and whilst I didn’t find a use for the dust in Book I, it does unlock special areas in Book II. You can see your progress from the main menu, either under chapter select (Book I) or objectives (Book II).
One of the aspects within Moss: The Forgotten Relic that I really appreciate is the ability to skip battles. This isn’t a game setting; it is a ‘skip combat’ option each time you reach a battle. This means that if you feel like a battle, you can, but at any point, you can ‘skip’ and move on, including during boss battles. You will still have to face enemies at certain points, as you need them in puzzles, but at other times you can just run past them.
Whilst not a requirement, I personally think that the role of the Reader should include admiring the views. The scenery in Moss: The Forgotten Relic is incredible. It can be whimsical at times, with the little mouse houses perched on the fungi-covered tree trunks, to simply stunning when admiring the glass construction of the conservatory.
Moss: The Forgotten Relic Book II
Book II of Moss: The Forgotten Relic starts with a recap. If you’ve only just finished Book I, this can seem a bit repetitive, especially as the first part of chapter one explains all the controls again. The two books share many of the same mechanics; as Reader, you are still required to solve environmental puzzles by moving blocks or manipulating Arcane to access different areas.
However, there are some notable additions in Book II. You can grow vines to help Quill climb walls or create pathways, and she can unlock the power to charge her sword to dash across gaps. In addition to a sword, Quill gains the ability to throw a chakram and wield a hammer. The dioramas within Book II are larger, with more complex environmental puzzles, new characters to meet, and harder boss battles. Overall, it feels like a significant step up from Book I; still enjoyable, but definitely more challenging.
Book II is also more emotional, encompassing a deeper storyline. You learn that there are five Glass in total, and anyone who holds them all… well, I couldn’t help but think of the “One Ring to rule them all” idea in Tolkien’s epic fantasy. I’ll leave you to find out whether Quill and her Reader will save Moss.
Controls and Options in Moss: The Forgotten Relic
Moss: The Forgotten Relic runs smoothly in both the docked and handheld modes of the Nintendo Switch 2, with the text large enough to read clearly in handheld mode. There is a separate Nintendo Switch version, which should run on the Switch 2 without issue. However, there is no upgrade pack to convert the Switch version to the Switch 2 version. Visually, the graphics on the Nintendo Switch 2 are stunning.
The controls appear on the screen as you progress through the start of each book, and you can remind yourself of them via the main menu.
Moss: The Forgotten Relic autosaves regularly. Whilst there is no day-and-night cycle, a lot of the scenes are set in darker environments. This means any screen glare can make it difficult to see the paths and ledges. It took about 4 hours to complete Book I and slightly longer to complete Book II, around 5.5 hours, though I’ve still got some scrolls and dust to collect in both.
Conclusion
Moss: The Forgotten Relic combines adventure, exploration, puzzling, and battling (if desired) into one cohesive story, albeit in two separate parts. The graphics are simply magnificent, complemented by atmospheric music and wonderful voice acting.
It is a game that deserves to be played, and I – unlike the relic – will not find Moss: The Forgotten Relic easy to forget!
Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up 
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