Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth Review – Comfy Contradictions

Hot off 2024’s Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley comes a sequel that will no doubt leave a lot of fans cold. If you were introduced to Tove Jansson’s Moomins through that game or the modern TikTok edits of the cozy trolls blissfully dancing in the fields, you may be surprised to learn that Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth begins with a tragedy. What’s more, many familiar characters are gone. Welcome to the Moominvalley from my memories: profoundly beautiful, often scary, unforgettable, eternal.

Two things to know about me for this review. First: I’m an avid licensed game player, and throughout my life, I have found an appreciation for the unique flavor of tie-ins and adaptations. I’m not one to disregard something like Winter’s Warmth for simplicity relative to its peers, and instead tend to find ways to appreciate how these kinds of tactile interactions and a game’s distinct vision allow a unique opportunity to re-evaluate feelings towards a given world by stepping inside it.

Second, I am, or at the very least used to be, familiar with the Moomins primarily through the multi-national joint production anime from the 1990s. In fact, growing up, it was one of the few pieces of media known and cherished by my entire family. All of my many cousins grew up watching it, so by the time I rolled around, everyone understood that calling a woman a “Little My” meant she was being annoying, cheeky, bossy. Whenever the kids needed a good scare, parents mentioned The Groke. Any ghostly shape or wind’s wheeze turned into a sign of the large, ground-freezing creature.

So, I wasn’t surprised when the game took on death directly. Some may be shook following the largely very friendly game that came before it, but I’ve come to learn at a very young age that the reason the Moomin franchise continues to captivate audiences eighty years into its lifespan is the inherent contradiction at the core of this game’s subtitle—Winter’s Warmth. How can the coldest season produce heat? How can a children’s story tackle death, and the related anger and grief head-on while also remaining whimsical, cozy, and genuinely silly?

My favorite Moomin-related media has long been the 1992 animated film Comet in Moominland—a prequel to the previously mentioned anime series. In it, a looming threat of the end of the Moomin world hangs above beloved heroes as they help each other to a shelter in hopes of hiding from the great ball of fire. Yet, each character has a few cherished items or even principles they refuse to abandon, even as the time visibly runs out, no matter what danger it puts them in. It can be something as simple as a stamp collection or general curiosity.

Similarly, the tragedy at the start of Winter’s Warmth certainly defines the experience, but Moominvalley won’t let Moomintroll forget that the world does not stand still. Characters will scream for help, finding themselves in harm’s way, creating silly situations that some may find unbecoming after such a hard-hitting start. To them I say: give it a chance. There’s clearly some magic to the world of the Moomin that made it work for nearly a century.

So, Moomintroll is off to help the best he can. He’ll light the way with matches, shovel piles of snow, chop trees, throw snowballs, and collect whatever’s needed for the festival that spells the end of this Winter he so hates. His movements are far less graceful than those of the agile traveler Snufkin. The trolls were meant to sleep through the winter after all!

The change of protagonists works wonders for this type of game. The yet inexperienced Moomintroll proves a far more engaging character to follow and play as, interacting with the environment more often, and tackling far fewer puzzles. Winter’s Warmth is a more tactile game, thanks primarily to its use of snow, with a thick coat of it covering most locations. Walking through it makes Moomin slow down, but these paths you make during the game are pervasive, and walking back through them is faster, meaning your path will paint Moominvalley both figuratively and literally.

There are points where tedium creeps in, shoveling snow in search of hidden items can prove a particular bother if you miss out on an upgrade for too long, like I did. Don’t make the same mistake and make sure to revisit previously blocked paths as soon as you gain a new tool, though, and Winter’s Warmth will no doubt turn into a very brisk five to six hour game. I must also note that I did encounter a softlock at one point that forced me to restart the game around halfway through I could also still do without some parts, like Little My challenging me to three snowball fights in a row, and I could have used a few hints for locations of some optional collectibles from characters, but, overall, I have very few objections to the structure.

Winter’s Warmth is not as weird as Melody of Moominvalley, with fewer of Tove Jansson’s bizarre creatures to be found and a few more conventional setpieces, but I think it is far better realized. Moomintroll is thrust into most situations, growing into a dependable person, still struggling with assertiveness, but not lacking in spirit. Though I am not entirely sold on “quests” in a game like this, I found myself naturally stumbling into everything I needed to find. Then, it was just about returning to those who asked for help—it’s just like visiting a friend.

The cohesiveness of the structure greatly complements Winter’s Warmth art style—2D rough story book cutout characters seen from a bird’s eye view, with an occasional beautiful background shot—returning from the previous game. With everything truly contributing to the final goal of bringing everyone together around the bonfire, it truly feels like a long bedtime story, because the world of the Moomin ultimately is as cozy as many were led to believe. It’s just that it also dares not to devolve into escapism.

One final thing that, for many, will be necessary information is that there are no Sigur Rós tracks to be found in Winter’s Warmth. Sorry to keep you in suspense on this one. Don’t despair, as the soundtrack is actually used to consistently great heights. The atmosphere of Melody of Moominvalley was clearly an inspiration, and without Snufkin’s constant instrumental interruptions, the music can really envelop a scene. And it is a thick layer of suspense, each note heavy and resonant. It truly feels like all parts of Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth know the role they have to play, and they play it brilliantly.

It comes together to form the best of these cozy adventure games that I’ve played, regardless of the inherent buff provided by the Moomin license. There are some directions I’d love to see the games look into, such as more gameplay variety/more ways to recontextualize the game’s tools, shifting away from collectibles into purely just a controlled set of scenarios, or a deeper focus on interacting with beloved characters. There’s definitely room to grow, but this is a very strong statement in favor of Hyper Games continuing the series, and one of the best games in a genre I felt was getting quite stale as of late.

At the same time, however, it also became one of my favorite pieces of Moomin media. As someone who had those varied, emotional memories of the series, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley did not quite meet my expectations. Winter’s Warmth did, while also reigniting these complex feelings and, with them, my long-dormant love for the franchise. Frankly, I’m still reeling from it a bit.

While the game will appeal particularly to those who cherish a more holistic experience of the Moomins, I believe this can also be the exact entry point into that deeper end for those looking in from the outside. Winter is quickly fading outside my own window, but this window into the heart of the franchise—that inherent contradiction of a cold’s warmth—perfectly fits this season of cold mornings and warm afternoons. A beautiful gem of a game that should not go unnoticed.

Mateusz reviewed Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth on PC with a provided review code. This review is based on the version of the game available at the time of writing and our score will not be changed.