Quill Will Use American Sign Language in the PSVR Game MOSS

At this year’s E3, many people were pleasantly surprised by the Playstation VR title Moss. GameTyrant even called it the Most Underrated Game of E3 2017! In Moss, you will follow the adventures of a mouse named Quill who appears, as it can be expected, to not speak. After all, mice don’t speak human languages. However, it appears that the lead animator, Richard Lico, still wanted some communication between the character and the player. This communication comes in the form of American Sign Language, or ASL.

Quill often needs to communicate with her guide, and I'm exploring ways in which she can do so. I came up with the idea of using ASL in conjunction with her existing pantomime methods, and wanted to test the idea. I had never animated sign language before, so I did some homework, and created this as a test example of what she could do in game. The response has been positive, and we're super excited about the opportunity to help support those who rely on ASL. Please visit www.polyarcgames.com for more information about Moss. We're also on social media @polyarcgames @foofinu. We'll be available on PSVR this winter!

For those that don’t know ASL, you don’t have to worry about missing parts of the story. Lico has mentioned that Quill will not be delivering great exposition, but rather “puzzle hints, reactions and emotional response. Simple gestures.” I think this is a fantastic move, and Quill is adorable when she signs. Not many games feature ASL, and I believe this is a creative way to break away from the norm. I wish I had a Playstation 4, and maybe by the time Moss comes out, I’ll have one so that I can enjoy this great looking game.