Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth Preview – Melancholy’s Never Been So Cozy – MonsterVine

I don’t know much about Moomintroll – as I told our EiC, Austin Paul Adamson, this week, I thought it was a Japanese creation because of the abundance of merchandise I’d seen in UFO Catchers. But after seeing the Day of the Devs stream that showed off Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth, I was interested in checking out this preview build. I came out of it surprised in many ways, but it was all quite charming.

Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth sees the adorably designed titular character awakening mid-hibernation. As such, the game’s world has a dark, cold feel that blends with the overall soft, cozy atmosphere in an intriguing way. It’s fitting, as the story’s tone is surprisingly melancholy. Well, it may not be surprising to those familiar with the source material, but I certainly wasn’t expecting it.

Credit: Hyper Games

Right after waking up, you have to wander through the dark house as Moomintroll. There are some fun visual tricks here, as art on the walls and objects around the house look like scary faces and the like until they’re properly illuminated. Eventually, you follow a squirrel that got into the house as it goes outside into the blustery forest. The little creature says it was just looking for somewhere to warm up, then runs into a clearing, where it seems to freeze to death.

The pretty blunt nature of this event shocked me, as I had assumed Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth was going to be more of a light and silly affair. Though I was definitely taken a bit off guard, I was impressed by how the game presented this situation in both a grounded and impactful way. I didn’t know Moomintroll got so real, so that was a fascinating surprise. Seeing Moomintroll try to understand it all was great and rather moving, as well.

Credit: Hyper Games

You meet a couple of pleasant characters in the short demo, like the cute but silent Ancestor and the warm and gentle Too-Ticky, who help Moomintroll understand the world a bit better. There’s a very compassionate feeling to the cast and the narrative, which I’ve had on my mind since playing the demo last night. I can certainly see why Moomintroll is so beloved worldwide, as it seems to hit a lot of pleasant yet uniquely pragmatic notes at the same time.

Most of the gameplay involves walking around and exploring, with a few small actions, such as lighting matches for visibility in the dark or throwing snowballs to clear obstacles. I’m curious to see the extent of the interactivity of the mechanics in the full game, though the demo’s slower pace and understated gameplay do feel suited to the aesthetic and tone that developer Hyper Games is going for, so I wouldn’t mind it staying fairly restrained in that regard.

Credit: Hyper Games

Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth looks absolutely gorgeous.

The hand-painted visual style of Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth is absolutely wonderful and is a large part of what makes the game so charming, even when the tone darkens. There’s a true storybook quality to it, which makes sense given the source material of Moomintroll and his surroundings. The audio is similar, with an almost “ASMR” quality that seems to soothe your brain as you wander around Moominvalley.

I think I’ll be checking out the previous title, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, now that I’ve had such a genuinely wonderful time with Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth. I look forward to the full game’s release on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC later this year, as the demo of this relaxing yet refreshingly honest fairy tale has really stuck with me.