Snufkin: Melody Of Moominvalley Review – They Love The Laughter And They Love The Living

Tove Jansson’s Moomins series is about as wholesome as you can get. The main character, Moomintroll, is an adorable, hippo-like creature who lives in the picturesque Moominvalley, and, every year, he eagerly awaits the springtime when his best friend Snufkin returns. Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley captures the essence of the series perfectly.

The game begins with the pair parting as Snufkin sets off for his yearly winter adventure. When he returns, however, he realises that something isn’t quite right with Moominvalley. Forest creatures are running away from it, and there’s a huge billboard obstructing the scenery. Worst of all, Moomintroll is missing.

The narrative here is fairly simple – Snufkin wants to rescue Moomintroll and restore Moominvalley to its former, nature-filled bliss. A lot of heart has been put into creating this version of the valley. It’s beautifully represented through the game’s watercolour palette — heavily reminiscent of the illustrations used for the Moomins books — and there are plenty of characters from the series to meet as you explore and go off the beaten path. Little My was always a pleasure to see, sarcastic wit and all.

Despite the urgency of Snufkin needing to rescue Moomintroll, things move at a relaxing pace. I took my time to wander across the beach to find Sniff’s missing friend, help a ghost scare police officers to get its strength back, and play a game of pooh sticks at the river with Snork. It felt as though I’d stepped right into one of Tove Jansson’s books.

The game’s short run-time and laid-back pacing did mean that a few of these side quests were shallow and left me wanting a little more from the characters they were linked to, though. Snorkmaiden, for example, only asked me to find her missing anklet, which I had already found while exploring half an hour ago, so our interaction was very short.

That being said, the puzzles scattered throughout the world were satisfying to complete. It’s particularly charming that you use Snufkin’s musical instruments to ‘inspire’ various creatures of the valley to help you, as gain more inspiration yourself to level up said instruments by interacting with the nature around you. This mechanic tied nicely to the game’s general theme of living in harmony with nature, rather than trying to control it for your own gain.

Aside from exploring the valley and helping out its inhabitants with small quests, a lot of time is spent taking down the parks set up by the Park Keeper in an attempt to modernise the valley.

Stealthily avoiding police officers to rip up signposts around the park is fairly simple, if a little repetitive. There are only so many different ways to hide from them or distract them, so a tad more variety would have gone a long way here. Snufkin is no Solid Snake. The game shines much more in its exploration and the charm of interacting with the Moomins characters, and the parks felt more like a means to an end.​​​​​​​

By the time I had located and freed Moomintroll, though, I had fallen in love with this version of Moominvalley, and only wished for a little more to explore, especially now that Moomintroll was free and by Snufkin’s side. Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is a short but sweet glimpse into the world of the Moomins, and it plays out just like one of its classic stories or TV episodes.

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch

Pros

• Gorgeous watercolour art style.
• Satisfying puzzles and progression.
• A beautiful representation of Jansson?s beloved characters and world.

Cons

• Some characters and side quests are shallow.
• Park sections become reptitive towards the end.