Parents' Guide to Moss

This is an adorable adventure filled with puzzles, platforming, and some combat, but the addition of virtual reality makes this 3D world even more engaging and immersive. While Moss only runs for about three or four hours, those looking for a bit of a different VR experience will no doubt fall for the game's charm. The first thing players will notice is the majestic set pieces you play in. Truly, this looks like a polished animated movie, and it's a thrill to move your head around (and use motion controls on the DualShock controller) to peek around the level and instruct Quill to move about. It's like you're "in" the adventure with this quiet little mouse. You get a nice sense of scale as part of this awe. The sweeping soundtrack adds to the overall immersion. Of course, you'll soon develop a rapport with Quill, since you must interact with her in many ways while navigating around the levels to perform tasks and solve puzzles.

As an example of a puzzle, you'll find yourself in a jungle cave around statues of heroic warrior mice, which you must move for Quill and place on pressure plates to open up a dungeon door. Once inside, you'll need to destroy five red beetles to reveal a winding staircase. You'll rotate the staircase so that you can climb it to a higher level. Some environmental puzzles are more challenging than this, but that's a sense of the tasks at hand. As hinted at already, the game's VR production values are extraordinary, between the animation, set pieces, and music and voice talent. There are a couple of little glitches that temporarily break the spell -- like adversaries who sometimes get stuck in a wall or a camera that obscures your view until you move around a bit -- but overall, Moss is well worth your time and your money.