Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley - Switch Review

Ashley Hill -

From the developers of Hyper Games, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is a low pressure musical adventure game where you try to help the citizens restore the valley and its environment to their natural state. I live in Japan, and therefore I am no stranger to the countless popular characters and their merchandise. Among them, Moomin is definitely one of the top contenders for most beloved. I see its merchandise everywhere, and even some of my coworkers have Moomin themed hand towels! Though, even with being familiar with the characters, I know almost nothing about the stories they come from. So, when I saw there was a game coming out of that world, I jumped!

In the picturesque Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, you play as Snufkin, who, coming back to Moominvalley after the winter to see their good friend Moomintroll, sees the area not as they saw it before winter but instead withering and the inhabitants unhappy. The environment has been ruined by the countless industrious parks being set up in Moominvalley by the rogue Moomin Park Keeper. You go through the game not only pulling out signs, distracting or avoiding guards, and pushing over those pesky statues, but also using your inspiring music to gain aid from the inhabitants to destroy these parks and let nature reclaim the land.

The Good

What I feel is immediately obvious about Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is its beautiful art style. The world of Moomin comes from a storybook series by Finnish author Tove Jansson, and the picturesque art style of this game is absolutely breathtaking. I caught myself staying a bit longer in certain areas of the game, just admiring the environment and how it truly made me feel like I was inside a picture book.

I loved that this game was such a low pressure game that didn’t require much thinking. It tells you exactly what you need to do and how to do it, without taking all of the fun out of the gaming experience. After a stressful day at work, coming home to Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley and a cup of hot chocolate was just what I needed. 

A game can be the most relaxing thing out there, but if its UI and menus are difficult to navigate or use, then the experience is ruined, in my opinion. However, that is definitely not the case here. The controls are very simple, the menus are easy to navigate, and the UI is super clean as well. That certainly is a breath of fresh air after some of the other games I have played recently.

My final point that I would like to bring up is the message of the game. It is no secret what the game is trying to say here. Four words: the environment is important. Albeit, I think that the parks can be a metaphor for how building and altering the outdoors can hurt the environment and its natural inhabitants. So, by getting rid of the parks in this game, you are restoring balance to the world of Moomin and giving the residents of the valley their home back. Letting Mother Nature run free, as it is supposed to.

TL;DR

  • Picturesque art style
  • Relaxing, low-pressure environment
  • Good message
  • Easy to navigate and control

The Bad

I have almost nothing bad to say about Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley. I would say that, as a whole, playing this game has been a very enjoyable experience. That is what I would call it—an experience. There is nearly no challenge. Therefore, to me, playing this game as an adult feels more like an experience of going through an interactive story than a game. However, in my opinion, that really depends on the age of the person playing the game. 

The only other weak point I could scrounge together is that it is a pretty short game. So if you’re looking for that 100 hour game to sink your teeth into, this won’t be it, chief.

TL;DR

  • No challenge
  • Short

Final Score: 8/10

After playing Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, I still have no idea what the world of Moomin really is. But I will say that I am starting to understand why it is so popular here in Japan. The characters and environment feel like they're jumping off the pages of a picture book. This game has been a wonderful experience. Even though it holds no challenge, if you’re having a stressful day, I recommend playing Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley while curled up in a blanket with a nice cup of hot chocolate. It certainly made my hectic days better, so I feel like it would do the same for you.

Thank you for checking out our Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley Switch review, thank you to Raw Fury (via Forty Seven PR) for providing the review code and thank you to our Patreon Backers for their ongoing support: