Tove Jansson was a Finnish author, novelist, painter and illustrator who created a series of children’s books in the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s. They focus on little troll/cow characters called Moomins. And if you’ve never heard of the artist’s work, well, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley gives you a laid back, cozy introduction to that world.
The game focuses on a human adventurer named Snufkin who bids farewell to his pal Moomintroll as late autumn draws nigh. Moomins hibernate for the wintery months, of course, so Snufkin ventures on and promises to stop back again in the spring.
But wait! When Snufkin gets back to Moominvalley, there are changes everywhere. There are gated parks scattered about now. Signs are posted, warning people not to eat, smoke, walk, camp, and even sniff in certain areas. And human police officers are assigned the duty of keeping the various parks orderly and trimmed.
Oh, and Moomintroll has disappeared!
As Snufkin, gamers set out to uproot signs and topple statues; outfox the guards and the rogue Moomin Park Ranger; and return the overly trimmed and paved parks back to their naturally green and bushy state. Snufkin and all of the Moomin residents believe that the valley is much prettier when it’s free and growing. Snufkin’s efforts wouldn’t be complete, however, until he could also find out the whereabouts of his good friend.
Gameplay-wise, Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley combines platforming challenges with simple puzzles and smiling nods to the joys of nature, represented through Jansson’s distinctive art style. As the title would suggest, Snufkin must find and use a harmonica and other instruments in his puzzle solutions. And the game offers scores of easy-to-obtain quests over a fairly large mapped out area.
Melody of Moominvalley is a single player game that doesn’t require an internet connection.
This game talks of friendship and helping others. And it’s overall challenge to restore harmony and balance to nature is also an encouragement for young players to keep our world healthy and green.
And in a gaming age packed with photorealistic, 100-hour, run-and-gun, grinding adventures, this little title is as relaxed as a video game can be. There are no battles. The puzzles are fairly easy to suss out. And even younger players will be able to navigate the appealing environs without much difficulty.
There are some lightly perilous moments in the mix (such as getting caught in a forest fire and attempting to hide and sneak past park guards). But if they caught, gamers simply retreat to an earlier point to give the challenge another try.
There are some potentially threatening creatures in the story mix. But they either show themselves to be helpful or retreat when gamers use the right musical instrument. A park sign represents a smoking pipe.
Sometimes young players just want to snuggle up with a cozy game and a blanket. And Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley has got them covered.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
