The PlayStation Blog has been updated with a fascinating post by Rick Lico, Animation Director for Polyarc, the studio that recently released the smash hit “Moss”. The main protagonist in Moss is Quill, a “confident, secure, self-reliant, impetuous young mouse”, according to Lico. Bringing her to life in virtual reality was a labor of love and one that is a powerful experience for players.
“To make Quill feel real, we focused on what makes VR unique and natural. Things like giving her the ability to make eye contact. This mutual acknowledgment really helps players build a relationship with the character. Not only does this show that she’s aware of your presence, but it also implies she has a soul.” Lico wrote.
Further, he stated that using natural gestures can be powerful. Quill will wave at players and gesture and wait for players to acknowledge her. “This elevates her beyond a simple gameplay avatar,” Lico said.
But even more powerful, Lico and his team believe that touch provides an even deeper level of communication between the player and Quill. This is due to the evocation of powerful emotions. To bring this about, players can “high five” Quill or to pet her in difficult moments.
All of these things combine to bring Quill to life in a realistic “non-cartoonish” way. “We wanted Quill to deliver a performance ripe with honesty and nuance. The best way to do this was to have Quill to communicate with the player through realistic gestures and sign language”.
It’s a fascinating look at an interesting and complex character, so head on over to the PlayStation Blog to check it out.
Our Moss Review
If you missed it, we recently reviewed the game and handed Quill et al a 9.5/10 score. Here’s a portion of Robin Baird’s thoughts on the game:
Overall, I really enjoyed everything about Moss. It’s a great game for both adults and kids and for me it’s the first VR game where I feel like everyone I know needs to play it. Seriously I keep trying to get all my friends, even the non-gamers, to come over and give it a try. I really hope Polyarc continues this game because there are still a lot of stories to be told about Quill and her adventures.
