Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth Review – A Cozy Adventure With Real Heart

Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth is a relaxing and moving adventure game that people of all ages and all levels of Moomin fandom can equally enjoy. The abundance of fetch quests can wear a little thin, but the presentation and enjoyable exploration throughout the title make it a worthwhile experience.

I previewed Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth a bit back, but only really played the very brief intro to the game. That was pretty much the entirety of my experience with the franchise, but I was intrigued enough to want to review the full game. I’ll say that I’m certainly glad that I did, as, a couple of minor things aside, this was an ironically wonderful and laid-back title to play as spring finally approaches my freezing region of Canada.

What impressed me most about the demo was how it addressed surprisingly mature themes like death and the passage of time. This persisted in the full version of Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth, which features plenty of poignant moments that left me feeling rather touched. Seeing how Moomintroll navigates this unforgiving season while learning that it can be both scary and beautiful is moving, especially as he interacts with his very unusual acquaintances.

My lack of experience with Moominvalley in general made all of the characters come off as charming new pals, or, more accurately, somewhat friendly antagonists. I was surprised at how many people Moomintroll knows who are abrasive, arrogant, or otherwise unpleasant, though it’s pretty much always in an entertaining way. I think this fairly harsh vibe also contributes to the game’s winter setting’s more oppressive feeling. 

There’s a satisfying feeling of progression throughout Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth that feels almost akin to an exploratory platformer, such as Metroid and the like. You spend a good portion of the game finding new tools and upgrading them to be more useful so that they can grant you access to new areas. It’s exciting to get an upgrade and think back on the areas you can return to for new secrets, especially after you get the dash-esque ability that makes backtracking less monotonous.

Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth provides you with a surprising amount to do.

It feels like you’re always able to do or find something new in Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth, as it has a surprising amount of quests and collectibles for a game that really doesn’t overstay its welcome. Pretty much every environmental obstacle or puzzle led to me receiving useful things like firewood, pieces of Moominmama’s broken vase, or one of a bevy of quest items that you need to convince some mysterious winter beings to come to the pivotal spring-summoning bonfire. From start to finish, there was a fulfilling sense of accomplishment to pretty much every action I took, which helped make the whole game flow well.

Perhaps it comes with the territory of a “cozy” game, but I did get just the slightest bit tired of how much fetching was involved in the plot. The story even pokes a bit of fun at how often seemingly everyone in the valley requires Moomintroll to travel across the land to find everything from herbs to missing children again and again, though this doesn’t keep it from still feeling a tad repetitive towards the end.

Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth is a visually wonderful game, thanks to its colorful, homey illustration style. The characters are incredibly distinct and endearing upon first glance, even to someone like me with minimal existing knowledge of them. The environments strike a fine balance between beautiful and cold/unforgiving, which fits perfectly with the winter-related themes that permeate the narrative. The sound is less intense and more cozy, primarily composed of pleasant, subtle songs and soft sound effects for every action and bit of dialogue. It all blends together perfectly, giving the entire game a real “storybook” style.