‘Moss: Book 2’ design director Josh Stiksma talks a bigger, less linear sequel

nme.com:

Polyarc, has sat down with NME to discuss the studio’s upcoming VR game, Moss: Book 2.Now that Polyarc has confirmed that Moss: Book 2 is set to launch on March 31, the team has been able to share a bit more on what it’s been working on.In a preview of the game viewed by members of the press, the game was revealed to be a fair bit less linear than its predecessor, and – in Metroidvania fashion – some areas will require items gained later in the game to access.On the decision to open up the world of Moss a bit more, Stiksma shared that “this was a big goal for us.

We know that the world in Moss One was very much “I can go to this chapter, play this chapter,” and that’s it. One of the things that we started exploring early, when we were developing Moss: Book 2 in pre-production, was “are there ways that we can explore the world more?””Stiksma added that the team wanted to land on a less linear playstyle that was “compatible with the way that we want to tell our story, and also compatible with the diorama setting that we want for all of the other rooms throughout the world.

We did a tiny bit of that in Moss: Book One which got us excited about it. In Moss: Book 2 we’re doing a lot more.”According to Stiksma, for players that will involve “returning to areas that you’ve been to before but now things are different, or the plot has advanced so [you] can now branch out and access more.

Players will discover…that castle that you’ve been working towards in Moss: Book One ends up being a bit like a hub that you can spoke out [to] these different areas throughout the game.”“We want it to be compelling.