I never expected to spend so much time in my thirties thinking about The Moomins, but apparently that’s the hand I’ve been dealt. As a child I didn’t like the cartoon at all, and avoided it in favour of almost anything else. When Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley released in 2024 though, I fell in love with the characters that Tove Jansson created so many years ago. I also loved the messages that were clearly important to the Finnish writer and illustrator, like looking after the beautiful world we live in. Both of the previous Moomins games charmed me massively, and now bizarrely after many years of disdain I’d happily call myself a fan. Obviously this meant immediately pouncing on a demo of Moomin Midsummer Madness, which is oddly timed but still delightful.
While the last two Moomins games have been about cosy exploration, Midsummer Madness is more of a classic point and click game. The game starts with Little My causing mischief as usual, and she’s actually who you start the game playing as. After annoying your sister Mymble enough you retreat into the forest and begin your whimsical adventures.
When unable to get a bucket from a tree, My realises she needs the help of someone taller. That means recruiting Moomintroll to help, and from there you have two characters to help complete specific tasks. It’s not long before other Moomin characters like Snorkmaiden appear too, and I’m sure further into the game more fan favourites will appear with tasks to solve.
The first chapter of the game is pretty simple really, with your main task to gather three items for Snorkmaiden’s new outfit. You’ll need to wander across a few screens and find different items to facilitate this, but if you’ve played a point and click game before you’ll manage this fine. If you’re struggling you can search for hotspots on the screen to find what you need to interact with too, making for a smoother adventuring experience.
Although short and sweet, the demo of Moomin Midsummer Madness left a real impression thanks to its gorgeous visuals. They’re much more detailed than the previous Moomin games, and allow for the characters to really come to life with different expressions. I’m sure the visuals will continue to delight later on when the ominous volcano in the background erupts too, and I’m excited to see more spectacles for the eyes in the full release.
Moomin: Midsummer Madness already looks to be another charming Moomins game, with beautiful visuals and all those childhood favourites you know and love. The short demo didn’t really give much away about the full game, but was a perfect taster that left me wanting more. We don’t have long to wait for that either, as next month we can celebrate summer in November with little hippo monsters.
Moomin: Midsummer Madness is set for release on November 12th.
