Moss is really a sum of its parts. Every piece harmoniously weaves together to tell a heartwarming and endearing story. Moss connects players to Quill, not just on a gameplay level, but in forming an emotional bond. The team at Polyarc is really proud of every aspect of their work, from the visuals (check out how to use the secret photo mode in Moss) to the interactions that the player has with Quill throughout her adventure. Recently, however, they’ve been shining a particular spotlight on the audio work that went into the game.
You’ve probably heard Moss Composer Jason Graves’ work before, whether you know his name or not. He has quite a few well known games in his portfolio, including Until Dawn, Far Cry Primal, The Order: 1886, Tomb Raider, and Dead Space. From those massive productions, he went on to take on the tale of a tiny mouse on a grand adventure of her own, scoring Polyarc’s VR title in close collaboration with Audio Director Stephen Hodde.
If you got a chance to watch the launch trailer or reached the game’s credits, you were treated to a beautiful song called “Home to Me” featuring haunting vocals by singer Malukah. The song recalls some of the same somber emotions evoked by Billy Boyd’s chilling performance in Return of the King. Since the captivating song first wound its way into my ears, I knew I wanted to hear the full version.
Polyarc and Jason Graves have come together once more to celebrate the music of Moss and release three songs from the soundtrack, including the full five and a half minute version of “Home to Me.” To say I’ve been listening to it on repeat since it released would be an understatement. The soundtrack preview also includes “The Clearing” and “Cinder Skies,” both instrumental tracks. Interesting to note, if you listen to “Cinder Skies,” you’ll hear some of the same note progressions and musical themes from “Home to Me.” Listen at about the 35 second mark to hear some clear similarities between the two. “Home to Me” is actually the DNA for the rest of the soundtrack. It’s evidence of the incredible work Jason Graves did to create a unified soundtrack while keeping each individual composition unique to its theme.
Listen to the Moss soundtrack preview on SoundCloud.
We had a chance to talk with both Composer Jason Graves and Audio Director Stephen Hodde about the music and the sound design of Moss respectively. Jason gave some great insight into his process for composing the soundtrack, collaborating with the team at Polyarc, and falling in love with Quill the way we all have. Hodde hinted that Polyarc is working to release the full Moss soundtrack, but there’s no set release at this time. We’ll have our full interview with Jason available later today, with Stephen’s to follow next week.
If you have a PlayStation VR headset and somehow missed Moss, our review looks at how Quill’s adventure is currently the platform’s must-play title. If you’re lacking PSVR, Sony just announced a permanent $100 price cut. If you do pick up the headset at the newly lowered price, do yourself a favor and make Moss one of your first VR purchases.
