Moss - Twilight Garden (DLC)

Last year, a year and a few months after the release of Moss for the PlayStation VR, a free update was released that added access to a special level known as Twilight Garden. I will admit that I honestly did not know about this new content until recently, however once I learned about it, I booted up the game again so I could check it out. After doing so, I felt that, while short, it was an interesting way to expand on the story and gameplay.

The expansion utilizes an object found early on in the game, which allows you to open three portals found across three different Chapters (The Mire Temple, Last Respite, Abandoned City). These portals lead to the Twilight Garden area, in which Quill has to complete a set of three trials to prove that she is worthy enough to wield the Glass. After these portals are opened for the first time, they remain open, though going through all three trials necessitates opening all three portals, which I went through in sequence. Once you complete a trial, you can also skip to the next chapter to find the next portal and the game will remember your progress.

The trials themselves feature their own interesting gameplay. The first two trials involve some well-designed puzzles that make use of the items unlocked through them. The first trial unlocks a new set of armor for Quill to wear that allows invisible platforms to appear when nearby, while the second unlocks a new equipable sword that gives Quill a ranged attack which utilizes the power of the Reader. The third trial is its own boss battle, which was well-designed and executed in a way that works in the unlockable items.

Quill with the unlockable sword and armor.

These trials are also integrated into the story really well, with special narration that seamlessly works them into the larger narrative. This is also seen in the Chapters they are placed in, which places them during the time frame in which Quill is trying to seek out the final boss, as acknowledged in the dialogue. On the animation side of things, I particularly liked being able to high five Quill an increasing number of times after completing each trial.

Overall, the Twilight Garden DLC doesn’t take very long to complete, adding about 90 minutes to the overall playtime. However, the way the extra story content is worked in is so seamless that it’s well worth exploring if you are playing Moss for the first time. If you have already completed Moss and haven’t played through the Twilight Garden already, this may be something to help tide you over until the promised Moss Book 2 come into fruition.