The Moomin universe is coming to Nintendo Switch in the form of Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley. a game heavily inspired by Tove Jansson’s (1914-2001) original work that has been captivating many parts of the world since her first book in 1945. While this beloved world has crossed over to many other forms of media through the years, this will be its first foray into the video game world.
On February 28, 2024, I had an opportunity to sit down with many of the Hyper Games development team to learn more about the game and its background.
They shared how they spent a lot of time with the licensing team behind the Moomin universe not only to make sure it had the look and feel fans expect, but they also wanted to honor the material and original artist as well. This led them to only exclusively use characters from the original universe. And while they needed to create a new story for this game, there are certainly nods to the original works for eagle-eyed fans. Some of the roles, like the Park Ranger, were even expanded for this particular story.
Through these conversations, they wanted to create an adventure game, but they also knew they could not include combat. Instead, they decided to use instruments to solve problems and puzzles within the game, which they think fits Snufkin’s personality. This also allowed the game to be playable by gamers of all ages. They made it clear this is not a children’s game, but it is a game children can enjoy right alongside adults.
The soundtrack was also incredibly important to the team. They connected with the band Sigur Rós right away to record the music, and they got their composer involved at the very beginning of the project, which is rare. This allowed them to create a very organic and ambient soundtrack that speaks to the Nordic and Norwegian background but also the natural music style that Snufkin, himself, would appreciate. On top of that, much of the development team were featured as voices for in-game characters.
Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley launches on Nintendo Switch on March 7, 2024, and contains roughly 6-8 hours of play. We’ll also be covering the game more on our YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it.
Steve is the Senior Editor of NintendoFuse and co-host of the NintendoFuse Podcast. He’s been a Nintendo gamer since age 6 and has been on staff with NintendoFuse since 2008.