Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley

Genre: Top-Down Action-RPG

Players: 1

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Review:

The Moomins franchise, while not especially well-known in America, has quite a history elsewhere in the world, particularly in Europe and Asia. Dating back to 1943, this series about a peaceful family of hippopotamus-like trolls and their various friends has spawned countless books, comics, television series, films, shops, cafes, and two amusement parks. The family-owned franchise has even seen multiple buyout attempts by Disney. Even if you’ve never heard of it, suffice it to say, it’s extremely popular.

The franchise has had multiple videogame adaptations, including a PC game, a Game Boy Color game, and two Japan-only Nintendo DS games. However, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley’s release in 2024 on PC and Nintendo Switch may be the first time many gamers are exposed to this series. This game is a family-friendly Action-RPG that has players taking the role of the titular Snufkin, who is usually a supporting character, as opposed to the franchise’s usual protagonist, Moomintroll, who early in the game goes missing and who players search to find.

The story in the game follows the ranger-like Snufkin who, after returning to Moominvalley after wandering during the Moomins’ hibernation, returns to find that much has changed – sections of the valley’s forests have been cut down and gated parks have been put up in their place, the valley is filled with signposts forbidding all manner of activities and patrolled by dimwitted police officers who are causing far more harm than any benefit they provide, and the lush grass valleys and rivers have dried up. Amidst all of this, Moomintroll has gone missing, and all signs point to the apparent culprit of all this chaos being The Park Keeper, one of the franchise’s antagonists.

The presentation in Snufkin makes use of a combination of 2D and 3D visuals designed to look like everything is constructed of sketchy, crudely-animated simple shapes and paper cutouts, almost like a softer, more natural and hand-drawn take on the sort of style we see in the South Park franchise. The one issue I have with these visuals is that despite their apparent simplicity, they still suffer from occasional framerate drops on Nintendo Switch. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it can be irritating at times.

This is backed by a fairly minimalist, atmospheric soundtrack that works well for this game’s natural environments, though you do have a few nice exceptions, like the game’s excellent soft and soulful opening theme, which I suspect may only be in the Nintendo Switch version of the game (some playthroughs on YouTube don’t include the song, which is odd, since I felt like it was the absolute highlight of the soundtrack).

For the game itself, one of Snufkin’s greatest strengths is how frequently it changes things up and offers different kinds of gameplay. As the Moomin franchise usually avoids violence, you won’t be fighting enemies, but you will find yourself doing a variety of other things. At first, the game seems to be linear, having players collecting “inspiration” from bushes and using this to power Snufkin’s harmonica and playing it to get help from various creatures to get past obstacles. But eventually, the game opens up, offering a bit of Zelda-style exploration, simple stealth sequences, fetch quests, and more.

However, while Snufkin offers a good amount of variety, nothing you do seems to have much depth. Tasks are usually simple and straightforward, and it can often feel like you’re being pulled along your journey rather than forging your own path. What’s more, this game is fairly short, only lasting 3-4 hours.

Still, what Snufkin lacks in depth and length, it generally makes up for in charm and variety. Players outside America may delight at the idea of joining these beloved characters on a little adventure, and American players who don’t know these characters will find this game to be a wonderful way to encounter them for the first time. If you think a simple, gentle Action-RPG may be something you’ll enjoy, Snufkin may be worth giving a look.

tl;dr – Snufkin is a family-friendly Top-Down Action-RPG featuring the characters and world of the Moomins franchise, giving players a brief little adventure filled with lovable characters. This game isn’t very long or deep, but it is charming and filled with variety. If that sounds appealing to you, this game may be worth a look.

Grade: B

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2024 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Game for Kids and Casual Players, Best Song – Opening Theme (Untitled #1 – Vaka) by Sigur Rós

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