Video sourced from the GAMEAY YouTube channel. © 2026 Polyarc, Blackbird Interactive.
If you’re like me and completely missed out on the original VR releases, you can basically treat Moss: The Forgotten Relic as a brand-new game. This upcoming bundle drops on Steam on July 16, 2026, and crams both Book I and Book II, plus the full Twilight Garden DLC, into a non-VR, flat-screen experience.
The current Steam demo drops you straight into a chunk of Book II. It’s short, but it’s more than enough to show you why this series is so beloved.
Used under fair use for commentary, criticism, and educational purposes.
What instantly hooked me was the dual-protagonist setup. You’re not just controlling Quill, the adorable little mouse who steals the show. You actually play as “The Reader”—this massive, god-like deity. Since you’re essentially a giant phantom, you can’t talk to Quill. Instead, she communicates with you through pure charm and sign language. Whether she’s idling, solving a puzzle, or collecting items, she’ll look up and sign to you. It’s incredibly endearing.
As the Reader, you act as Quill’s ultimate support system, moving massive environmental objects and triggering heavy machinery that’s way too big for a tiny mouse. Meanwhile, Quill handles the boots-on-the-ground action.
And man, she is nimble. Controlling Quill feels like controlling a micro-sized Lara Croft or Nathan Drake. She climbs, jumps, slashes, and dodges with amazing fluidity. Her tiny sword and little backpack give her so much personality.
I’ve played plenty of action games (I wouldn’t call myself a hardcore sweat, but I know my way around a controller, especially after reviewing a ton of 2D side-scrollers lately). Transitioning this from VR to flat screens feels less like a lazy port and more like a proper, ground-up remaster. Quill’s combat loop is snappy. There’s no stamina bar for dodging, but there’s a subtle, split-second cooldown that stops you from just spam-rolling through every fight. It makes the combat rhythm feel super rewarding when you’re executing perfect hit-and-run combos.
That said, the new 3D camera system—which smoothly pans and shifts based on where you move—does come with a minor quirk. The depth perception on narrow stone ledges can be a bit tricky. I accidentally walked right off the edge and plummeted to my death three times. (Okay, maybe I just have terminal bad gamer hands, who knows, haha).
The puzzles in the demo aren’t mind-melting, but they do make you pause and think. For example, near the end, there’s a door gimmick where I knew I needed to mind-control a nearby beetle to step on a pressure plate. The catch? The beetle was armored, making it immune to my powers. I spent a minute scratching my head until I realized I had to grab a giant hammer, smash its armor off first, and then hijack its mind. Simple in hindsight, but satisfying to piece together. I’m curious to see if the full game cranks up the difficulty on these later on.
At the end of the day, Quill is the absolute star of the show. She’s the main reason I downloaded the demo in the first place, and since I have zero nostalgia for the VR originals, this felt like discovering a gem of a new game.
Highly recommend giving the demo a spin.
Note: Played on the preview demo; final launch content might change!
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