Moss: The Forgotten Relic review: still one of the sweetest fourth-wall-breaking games you'll play

When Moss first arrived on PlayStation VR, and the tiny mouse looked up, smiled, and acknowledged that I was there, virtual reality games made sense; more so, Quill made a common game format – puzzle-platforming – feel original and intimate. After all, Moss was a VR game that began with you physically opening a storybook, before heading inside to join and help the little mouse on her quest. The big question then: can that fourth-wall-breaking idea work outside of VR?

Because, eight years on, Moss: The Forgotten Relic removes Quill's adventure from the sweaty confines of a VR headset and onto the flatscreen. It combines Moss, Moss: Book II, and the Twilight Garden DLC into one complete package, with reworked visuals, new cutscenes, and tweaked gameplay – you now interact with Quill and her world in a more conventional way. While it means one of VR's defining adventures is finally available to everyone, it also means something special has inevitably been left behind: Polyarc has done an admirable job of ensuring Quill's world loses little of its charm, but the closeness that came with physically interacting with Moss is lost.

The biggest hurdle has always been translating the Reader – you – from omnipresent persona who can grab and move objects to aid Quill into something more traditional. In VR, you weren't simply playing Quill; you existed alongside her. You reached into her world to move giant blocks, pull levers, and grab enemies, becoming as much a guardian as a player. Here, those same interactions are handled with analogue sticks and shoulder buttons, and while very little has changed functionally, emotionally it's impossible not to notice the difference.

The VR elephant in the room

Immediately, I noticed a disconnect as the camera has undergone a rethink. In the original VR game, you had the freedom to lean into Moss' immaculate, diorama-like worlds in search of secrets, hidden paths, and clues to solving puzzles. Now, the camera follows Quill through each environment in a more traditional way, so there’s a little arms-length to the action – it's less magical, certainly, but developer Polyarc deserves credit for making it work. Clever cutaway effects keep Quill visible whenever scenery gets in the way, while richer lighting and improved environmental detail make this fantasy world feel colourful and alive.

The new dual-control system also proves more successful than I expected outside of VR. You're simultaneously guiding Quill while manipulating the world around her, rotating platforms, moving blocks and stunning enemies whenever needed. At its best, it feels wonderfully inventive, asking your brain to split its attention between two roles at once, in a similar vein to Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons Remake. At its busiest, though, it can feel like trying to pat your head while rubbing your stomach, particularly when platforming, puzzle-solving, and combat collide in one space at the same time.

Thankfully, it's the puzzles that remain Moss' greatest strength, as every room feels handcrafted, each mechanism thoughtfully placed, and solutions arrive with a sense of satisfaction. There are moments when I wished I could lean in and just ‘look’ for a solution, instead of plodding around, but generally solving puzzles that make use of the dual-control mechanic is where Moss finds its best moments.

Though exploration is equally rewarding, and new abilities such as the power to grow new plant-paths and reveal glass platforms make re-running past rooms interesting, with hidden scrolls and optional routes encouraging you to poke around every beautifully constructed corner, as well as secret armour sets to unlock.

Combat has never quite reached those same heights as the game’s puzzle-exploration, and little Quill is no Dante – her sword swings and sweeps are perfectly enjoyable in small bursts, but encounters rarely evolve beyond simple dodges and light attacks. Likewise, the move to a traditional camera occasionally exposes awkward platforming, with depth perception proving less forgiving than it ever was in VR. A handful of larger action sequences lose some of their impact, too, not least a thrilling escape from a gigantic, fire-breathing mechanical snake, where the timing can feel a bit clumsy.

Fortunately, Polyarc is well aware of where Moss truly shines. The new Skip Combat accessibility option is a smart addition, allowing players to bypass the weakest sections and spend more time doing what the series does best: exploring its gorgeous world and solving its wonderfully tactile puzzles.

And what a world it still is, particularly in the sequel, Book II, which remains the clear visual highlight, layering richer lighting, denser environments, and even more personality into Quill's adventure. Cobwebbed castles and lantern-lit swamps give way to pristine snowfields and ancient ruins bathed in soft pink light. Outside of VR the visuals have more fidelity – clearer, sharper – and Moss reinstates the position as a unique fantasy world you simply want to experience. The design is lovely, and the way the game plays with scale – the animal world living beneath the remnants of humans, scampering through rusted helmets and armour – feels magical in a kind of Jim Henson-does-Redeall way.

Quill offers Pixar personality

At the centre of it all is Quill, who remains one of gaming's most adorable protagonists, who exudes personality through every tiny animation, from a flick of her ears to the swish of her tail. She simply bursts with personality. She still breaks the fourth wall to celebrate your victories with a high-five, still glances towards hidden clues when you're stuck, and still pauses to look directly at you with a smile that says more than dialogue. She has the warmth of a Pixar character and the bravery of a classic storybook hero, making it remarkably easy to become invested in her journey.

There's no escaping that Moss: The Forgotten Relic isn't quite as magical as experiencing these adventures inside a VR headset. That sense of physically sharing Quill's world was unique, and no flatscreen adaptation could fully recreate it, but that's never really the point. This remastered collection isn't trying to replace the VR originals; instead, it opens the pages of one of gaming's most heartfelt adventures to everyone else.