Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth is a game that is like a fairytale, and the opening reminded us of children’s books that we used to stare at in awe as kids. Everything is wonderfully drawn and subtly animated, which, in combination with the atmospheric soundtrack, really pulls us into the world.
We started playing the game with our nephews before going to bed, thinking we might see what it was all about and continue the next day. We couldn’t stop playing that night. Its narrative and mechanical charm took hold of us and refused to let go. Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth feels like another cozy game and it does have those vibes, but it also juggles themes of loneliness and existential maturity.
You are woken up one night from your winter slumber and try to look for your mom in the dead of night, while the cold winter wind dominates the room. Guided by the light of your matches, you go from one room to another, close the windows and try to keep your family warm before going back to bed yourself.
Alas, destiny has other plans for our adorable summer creature, and a series of events will not let him catch a wink of sleep. Instead, we are thrown into an unforgettable adventure filled with loveable characters and a wonderful world to explore.
Winter Is a Very Different Moominvalley
Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth takes inspiration from Tove Jansson’s Moominland Midwinter. We’re put in Moomintroll’s shoes as he experiences winter for the first time.
His family is still sleeping, Snufkin has left for the winter, and the familiar Moominvalley has been transformed by the cold. Moomintroll initially wants to bring back spring so his family can wake up, but his journey soon becomes about much more than that.
He is not used to being alone, and winter is a completely new experience for him. There are things he doesn’t understand, places he has never seen and creatures he has never met. It starts as a simple search for warmth, yes, but it slowly turns into a journey where he, and we with him, have to face our fears and learn to help others along the way.
There is plenty of that familiar Moomin charm, but the game doesn’t make everything feel safe and cheerful all the time. There are moments when the winter feels cold and lonely, especially in some of the encounters early in the game, like the one with the squirrel. That particular moment even left us having to explain to our nephews that sometimes things don’t work out the way we want them to, no matter how much we wish they would.
Exploring Moominvalley
Most of the game is built around exploring Moominvalley, meeting characters, completing quests and solving puzzles. There is no combat here and that fits the game well. Instead, Moomintroll gradually gets different tools that allow him to interact with the world in new ways. We have our matches, which help us through darker areas, while later on we get mittens for making and throwing snowballs, which are super useful for destroying icicles or hitting others and seeing their reactions. There’s also shovel for clearing snow and an axe for chopping wood and ice. These tools make it well worth it to come back to the areas we’ve already visited because something that was inaccessible before might suddenly be reachable once we have the right tool.
The puzzles themselves aren’t especially difficult. We don’t think they need to be. Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth is a game that’s about the story and the people, the beauty of life and exploration and not about challenging puzzles that take attention away from all of that.
Winter’s Warmth is all about the journey. And, oh, what a journey it is.
A Beautiful Winter World
The familiar places look completely different under the snow, and there is something lovely about following Moomintroll through the forests and snowy paths while serene music plays in the background. Our little guy leaves paths behind as he walks through it, and the snow reacts to characters and objects moving through it. It’s, for lack of a better world, adorable!
Hyper Games has done a wonderful job of making the game feel like a moving illustration. The painted textures and simple 3D shapes work together really well, and the subtle animation keeps everything looking like it has come straight from a storybook. For Moomin fans, there are also plenty of little details and references to Tove Jansson’s work to notice along the way. Trust us, fans, you’ll feel right at home here, especially if you’ve played Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley.
Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth is not a direct sequel, but it is a spiritual successor, and the similarities are obvious. Both games focus on exploration, characters, quests and simple puzzles rather than combat. Instead of the brighter world we explored with Snufkin, we’re spending our time in a Moominvalley covered in snow, with Moomintroll discovering things he has never experienced before.
The story stands on its own, and you won’t feel like you’re missing out on anything, but we do feel that if you end up liking this game, you should definitely give the previous one a go too.
Fairytale Brought to Life
Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth has the beautiful artwork, music and characters we’d expect from a Moomin game, but underneath all of that is a story about loneliness, fear, friendship and learning to care for others.
We didn’t want to stop playing, and even when we did, our minds were still on the game. Some might say this is a children’s game, but the author of this review will turn 42 in less than a month, and he absolutely loved it.
Our Score: 10/10
Game: Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth
Developer: Hyper Games
Publisher: Hyper Games / Kakehashi Games
Genre: Adventure / Puzzle
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2
Players: Single-player
PS5 Release: September 18, 2026
Based on: The Moomin stories by Tove Jansson
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