The highly anticipated game Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley will be released on PC and Nintendo Switch on 7 March 2024! In the musical adventure game, Snufkin needs to restore the harmony of Moominvalley after unsightly parks have ruined the natural balance.
Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is an engaging game for all ages built upon Tove Jansson’s Moomin stories, the value of nature, and the free, rebellious spirit of Snufkin. The game will come out on PC Steam and Nintendo Switch on 7 March 2024 and on mobile in late 2024. The official launch date was announced last night on Nintendo’s partner showcase, Nintendo Direct.
With an impressive position on the top 200 most wishlisted games in the world on the digital store Steam (over 14,500 games were released 2023), the game has already become a PR success. Key markets for the game include the US, Japan, the Nordics, the UK, Germany, France, and Poland.
Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is a wholesome and atmospheric experience designed for Moomin enthusiasts and any players who seek uniquely crafted gaming experiences. With the help of Snufkin’s trusty harmonica and the inhabitants of Moominvalley, the player has to overcome obstacles through a series of musical puzzles and stealth gameplay. In a new interview with moomin.com, the co-founder and CEO at Hyper Games, Are Sundnes, tells about when the idea of a Moomin game came up:
“The idea for a Moomin game kicked off in 2020, after we’d been working on a project with quite a dark theme for a long time and were craving something more cheery. The idea first came to me when reading Tove Jasson’s picture book Who will comfort Toffle?, and the ball rolled quite quickly from there”, says Are Sundnes.
The core inspiration of the game’s storyline comes from the book Moominsummer Madness (1954), where Snufkin ends up in a conflict with the Park Keeper. The game is built on Snufkin’s respect for nature, as known in the original novels, but gives a bigger role to the Park Keeper and the battle between the two.
“We wrote the story together with the Moomin team, and it’s completely original, but inspiration was drawn from the various Moomin stories, and there are several references to them in the game”, Sundnes explains to moomin.com.
“Choosing Snufkin as the protagonist wasn’t an immediately obvious choice, but the team very quickly identified he had the perfect explorer character for such a game. This fascinating wanderer, who is a bit of a rebel and very independent but can also appreciate the company of others.”
Watch the new trailer here:
A homage to Tove Jansson’s iconic art
The atmosphere of the game is rooted in honoring nature – something that is key to the original Moomin stories largely inspired by the Nordic archipelago and lifestyle. The game is not only a love letter to nature as Tove Jansson saw it, but also her iconic art style that has impacted people worldwide.
“Tove Jansson was a wonderful artist with a distinct style. Specifically, her watercolour paintings inspired much of the game art originally. While we don’t try to mimic the style directly, it’s important to us that it feels like the ideas were born in Jansson’s hands”, Sundnes says.
Hyper Games was given permission to create a new visual style for the game by Moomin Characters Oy Ltd, the family business and owner of the Moomin license. A rigorous process started from there.
“Recreating Tove Jansson’s world and especially bringing the characters alive in their iconic traits and quirks was a daunting but hugely important task. Rather than trying to copy something specific, we needed to distill the essence of each character across all of Jansson’s work”, Sundnes adds.
“It was a delicate balancing act of crafting details and fitting them into the game’s narrative, while staying true to the spirit and high standards of the original work. We wanted the experience to feel somehow handcrafted, in both visual style and animation, to create a world that players would want to get lost in.”
Alongside Snufkin, the game includes 50+ other characters from the Moomin stories. The residents of Moominvalley will all help Snufkin in his mission in various different ways.
Read the full article and interview with Hyper Games here.
Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is available for pre-order on Nintendo Switch UK & Europe, Nintendo US and Nintendo Japan!
Interested in licensing the Moomin brand? Rights & Brands is the master agent for Moomin. Send an e-mail to licensing@rightsandbrands.com