While an extensive knowledge of the Moomins is not required to enjoy this game, you may acquire one reading this review. I know entirely too much about these books. The Moomin stories were written by Finland-Swedish artist and novelist Tove Jansson from the end of World War II through to 1970, and continue to be much beloved if lesser known to this day. Continuing with their effort to bring Moomins to video games in 2024 with Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, Hyper Games have followed up with Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth.
Where the first game took vignette-like stories from across multiple books and characters backstories and weaved them into a very all-encompassing story of Snufkin’s return after winter to Moominvalley in springtime (which is itself just a small part of the narrative in the book Moominsummer Madness), Winter’s Warmth is a more linear adaptation of a single one of the novels, namely Moominland Midwinter. As the game’s new title suggests, and as in the novel, Moomintroll is the protagonist this time around.
You could think of Winter’s Warmth as the sequel to Melody in Moominvalley, ie the winter that follows that adventure. The winter-themed novel (1957) comes just after the summer one (1954). The developers themselves have described it as a spiritual successor with many similar elements. It doesn’t matter all that much, as it’s quite self-contained. So pull on your mittens and scarf and let’s get out in that snow.
Moomins are hibernating creatures who hide away through winter in their windmill-like house, while it’s slowly covered in snow, and then emerge in spring to meet Snufkin home from his travels south. Moomins know nothing of the winter months, of Christmas, or of those beings that stay awake through the cold months. This winter though, Moomintroll, the plucky but homely son of the family, has awoken far far too early, and can’t get back to sleep.
After lighting his house, investigating strange noises, and finding his way out into the snow for the very first time, Moomin is confronted with an adventure of discovery; the winter world and its denizens are entirely alien to him, and as he can’t get back to sleep, he may as well learn and make himself useful. Over the course of the game, Moomin meets Too-Ticky, a knowledgeable lady who lives in the Moomins ‘ bathhouse during winter, discovers the Lady of the Cold, encounters the winter beings, has snowball fights with Little My, and slowly guides everyone he meets either back to Moominhouse for shelter, or towards a great winter bonfire to welcome back the Spring.
Moomintroll Winter’s Warmth is a much more linear story than its predecessor; where Snufkin’s adventure gave you mostly free rein to visit all of Moominvalley in a sort of open-world, Winter’s Warmth moves you from event to event, following the events of the novel in gamified ways. The map isn’t an open world, but instead a series of contained locations. While it looses a little something in not being a fully explorable valley, it gains a sense of scale, where Snufkin’s game made Moominvalley feel very small.
It’s hard to say the narrative is anything but wholesomely wonderful, after all, it’s directly lifted from an almost 70-year-old novel that has stood the test of all that time. Winter’s Warmth does an exemplary job of recreating one of the most popular of the novels, and without loosing any of its charm. If you are interested though, it does leave out a few scenes and rearranges the order.
The gameplay of Winter’s Warmth also deviates somewhat from that of Snufkin’s adventure. Instead of instruments and melody-based puzzles, a little stealth and rebellion, and a little light puzzle platforming, Moomintroll has matches for fire, some mittens so that he can roll snowballs to throw, a spade for digging and an axe for chopping…and a little light puzzle platforming. So not far off, just changes that are in keeping with Moomin as a character – ie he’s not a harmonica-playing wanderer, who needs an open world game about melodies. He’s a Moomin, lost in a vast and transformed snowy wilderness he thought he knew well, and he needs to be able to get around.
What may look like simple changes to gameplay mechanics, are deeply thought about changes that reflect both Moomintroll and the setting of the game. Kudos to Hyper Games that they didn’t just recreate the exact same game again for the sequel as many developers might have, but thought it through and included tangible and worthwhile changes to make it Moomin’s own game. Think of the gameplay as cozy tasks to help the winter denizens of the forest and you won’t be far off.
One of the most endurable parts of the Moomins as a cultural icon is its artwork – Tove Jansson was a painter with a talented eye for stark compelling visuals. Winter’s Warmth, like its predecessor, leans into the beauty of the franchise with hand-painted visuals and locations throughout, which pay homage to the nostalgic style while still being a little more modern.
There’s no end of beautiful imagery to be found as you explore the story of Moomin’s adventures in the snow, from the ice-covered sea and lakes, to the paths you make in the snow, to the wind-ravaged mountainsides, to the damp, cloying atmosphere of a dark cave.
While I couldn’t hear the mournful refrains of Sigur Ros echoing off the icicles in Winter’s Warmth, the music that is here has its own melancholy simplicity, if a little less stark recognisability. Expect a more normal soundtrack this time around, and while it’s in no way disappointing and does its job well, it suffers only by dint of comparison with what came before.
One of the greatest gifts of this new release and Snufkin before it, is that the adaptation of the Moomins into this new modern medium allows me to share them with my son in a way that is even more magical and even more interactive than reading the stories with him has been. I have an abiding love for the Moomins instilled by the 90s anime series, but while he likes those, nothing fires up a kid’s imagination and problem-solving skills like getting into a game on the Switch.
Sitting together over the past week, Switch passing between us, we’ve guided Moomin through this soft winter wonderland together as a little team. The simple controls, easy-to-view menu screens and interfaces have meant my son is able to grasp 90% of the game without even being able to read yet.
Using a finger on the touchscreen to lead Moomin for example, means you don’t need experience with game controls. The game is like an interactive story book, and for the most part I’ve treated it as an activity we can do together – I will read the speech and do the voices, and my son can explore the valley, find interesting situations, and solve the problems of the creatures we encountered. He especially loved throwing snowballs at every opportunity, and when we got the axe, he could go about chopping up fallen logs for much-needed firewood.
Hyper Games have created a little personal shared memory for our family that I’m sure my son, in such a formative time, will remember for the rest of his life. It’s something of a heady responsibility when put like that, and Hyper Games handle the intellectual property with great care and respect, whilst also being worthy of my trust with my child’s first experience of something charming and wholesome.
It’s hard to say conclusively whether Snufkin’s game or Moomin’s game is the better instalment; really they are just different experiences with loads of the same wholesome warmth and artwork to make them companion pieces. Two different seasons showcasing two different characters, and two different sides of Moominvalley. I think Tove Jansson would have thoroughly approved.
Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth is cozy, heartfelt and nostalgic right from the start. It deftly realigns gameplay to suit its new hero and his adventure. It never mishandles the Moomin property and it always represents what made these characters magical in the first place; wholesome, creepy, natural, whimsical and timeless magic for any age. Just like the books, a wonderful cure for winter melancholy.
Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth is available now on Nintendo Switch (review platform) and PC via Steam.
Developer: Hyper Games
Publisher: Hyper Games
Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the game. For our full review policy, please go here.
If you enjoyed this article or any more of our content, please consider our Patreon.
Make sure to follow Finger Guns on our social channels –Twitter, Facebook, Twitch, Spotify or Apple Podcasts – to keep up to date on our news, reviews and features.