Problem to solve
One of the main goals of VR is to make people feel like they’re somewhere else – that they’re visiting a place or experiencing something for themselves. For people to accept this feeling of being somewhere else, they have to experience what is called embodiment – or the feeling of being present in that virtual world.
How do I give people a sense of presence and help them feel like they’re part of the story?
Moss’s solution
Moss is an immersive story and puzzle game created by Polyarc.
They have a clever way of handling how you are immersed into the story by having you become a spirit that guides and protects Quill along her journey. By having her wave at you and look down at the water, you are compelled to look down as well, at which point you can see you’re a character in the story.
They also made some very interesting choices in how they worked around height and scale for embodiment. You’re not the same size as Quill, but are your own height, which not only feels more natural and believable, but also enables you to see the environment and solve the puzzles more efficiently.
Download it and try it
Moss is available on Playstation VR, Oculus, Steam, and VIVEPort, and works on the Quest, PSVR, and PC-based VR headsets.
