Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is an upcoming musical RPG inspired by the much beloved Moomin children’s book series by Tove Jansson. The demo was released recently, for a limited time only, and I had a chance to play it.
Being a huge Moomin fan, I have had my eye on this game for a while. I first signed up to their newsletter back in March 2022 and have been patiently waiting for its release. So it was a joy to be able to play a small section of it!
The story
Spring has returned to Moominvalley, and with its returns comes Snufkin. Only, something is wrong with the valley. In Snufkin’s absence, sections of the natural landscape have been chopped up into parks, disturbing the valley’s natural balance. Signs have been pierced into the soil, displaying new rules, prohibiting the valley’s inhabitants from eating, drinking, playing and erecting tents outside. Park keepers now patrol the forest to keep the inhabitants in line.
That’s right. In this game, Snufkin must battle his one true enemy – a bureaucratic, stuffy and shallow local government that does not care for wild, natural beauty, and instead seeks to preserve only a semblance of natural beauty – that is, parks that are cordoned off by spiked fences, that are locked up at night and that are filled with unnaturally symmetrical topiary (eugh! – a personal anathema of mine).
Armed with only his trusty harmonica and a healthy amount of pluck, Snufkin sets out on a mission to restore Moominvalley to its beautiful, natural landscape.
Gameplay
This is a puzzle game aimed at a younger audience. As such, I found the puzzles a little too easy so I personally would have liked some sort of difficulty setting, but I understand that I am not the target demographic for this game. Also, I have only had the chance to play the opening act, so it is possible that the difficulty will ramp up as the game progresses.
Early on, Snufkin’s harmonica is introduced as a tool that helps the player complete puzzles. By playing it, he can inspire creatures around him to do what he wants (such as reveal themselves to help, follow him, etc.). Different creatures will only be affected by the harmonica if Snufkin has reached a certain level of inspiration points (in short, if his playing is not good enough, then the creatures will not be swayed into doing what he wants). You gather these points by interacting with the natural environment (primarily, it seems, by running through bushes – which I found very amusing).
Some of the puzzles also ask the player to manipulate the natural environment by, for example, moving rocks so that Snufkin can cross a river – I really enjoy how this contrasts with the parks Snufkin is against. In the parks, no one is allowed to touch anything and visitors must stick to the path. Whereas the player must work with the natural environment.
Many of the puzzles are also based on original story elements from Tove Jansson’s work – such as finding a name for a nameless creature that Snufkin encounters, or his mission to rip out park signs from the earth. The game has expanded these elements, at times adding its own original spin to them, and transforming these ideas into something playable.
Artwork
You can tell how much love went into this game by looking at the artwork alone. The style is delightfully charming and really representative of Tove Jansson’s original drawings. In particular, I love the lack of black lines. To me this makes the natural forest setting all seem connected and fluid – which is very representative of Snufkin’s ideologies. This fluidity also makes the jutting black fences, erected by the park keepers, really stand out against the natural landscape. They serve as a very clear distinction between Snufkin’s beliefs and the beliefs of the park keepers.
Although the puzzles were a little too easy for me, I had lots of fun exploring the maps, soaking in all the amazing art. Moominvalley feels lush with life, which is crucial to the player’s understanding of why the parks are not in harmony with Snufkin’s ideals, or with the lives of the residents of Moominvalley.
Characterisation
Snufkin is not only my favourite character from the Moomin series, he also just so happens to be one of my favourite characters from any media. In fact, as I write this blog post I am drinking coffee from my Snufkin mug… So it was crucial to me that the dialogue and the quests he acts upon feel true to his personality. And I am delighted to say that everything felt entirely in character!
The writers have nailed Snufkin’s personality. Equal parts charming and aloof, Snufkin is a character who is capable of providing warmth and reassurance to even the most unapproachable of creatures, but he also remains distant and somewhat impenetrable. There’s always been a bit of a barrier between Snufkin and the rest of the Moomins – one that he puts up, unconsciously or not – and you can feel this in his interactions with the characters we meet in the demo.
Conclusion
This is a wonderful project and I have enjoyed following its progress. The artwork is gorgeous and grounded in its setting, the gameplay is fun and I enjoy the inspiration system too. You can tell just how much passion has gone into this game to make it feel harmonious with its source material, whilst expanding on those elements to make something new.
I cannot wait for the official release!
The finished game is set to be released in the first quarter of 2024, and will be available on both PC and console.
Photo sources:
The featured image is a screenshot from the game
The promo picture comes from the game’s official website
The photo was taken by me
All other pictures come from the official Steam page or screenshot from the official trailer
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