Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth — A Beautifully Bittersweet Introduction to a Nordic Icon
- Antal Bokor
- 2 minutes ago
- 3 min read
There’s something nostalgic about Moomintroll, even if I don’t directly remember it before playing the demo for Winter’s Warmth at the Steam Next Fest. Created by Finnish-Swedish author Tove Jansson in 1945, the Moomin franchise has steadily evolved from beloved children's literature into a multi-generational global empire.
The eccentric trolls first gained massive international traction through a widely syndicated 1950s comic strip, but it was the 1990 Japanese-Finnish anime adaptation that truly catapulted the property into a pop-culture juggernaut, establishing its iconic visual identity and spawning highly lucrative theme parks and lifestyle merchandising.
Most recently, the IP successfully transitioned into the modern cozy gaming space with 2024's critically acclaimed Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley, proving that Jansson's timeless, watercolor world can thrive in interactive media and perfectly setting the stage for the franchise's expanding digital future. Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth is the next game in the Moomin series, and it happens to be my introduction to the entire phenomenon.
Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth is a cozy adventure game where you play as Moomintroll after he wakes up early from winter hibernation, and is tasked with helping create the bonfire needed to usher in spring. This sets adorable Moomintroll on an adventure through a winter that gets less scary and dangerous as Moomintroll learns to adapt to the frozen world, with a little help (and antagonism) from regular Moomin characters.
The intensely curious and sometimes naive Moomintroll means well, and is willing to put up with a lot of nonsense from those around him. After a surprisingly scary and then depressing opening, Moomintroll realizes that he’s alone in the world for the first time, and needs the help of others–like Too-Ticky, the crafty friend who helps Moomintroll accept the world for what it is, and even doles out a few upgrades to Moomintroll’s gear.
Most of the gameplay in Winter’s Warmth involves exploring the sometimes surreal frozen world and completing tasks for the various characters you meet. As you progress, new areas will be unlocked through acquisition of new tools and abilities–like the mittens, that give you the ability to knock down icicles, or the shovel that clears away snow and opens new areas for Moomintroll to explore.
You don't need fast reflexes or heavy puzzle solving skills to get through Winter's Warmth–save for a few snowball fights with the precocious (and slightly antagonistic) Little My.
The main gameplay mechanic in Winter’s Warmth is exploration, with the main antagonist being winter itself, and the limitations and hardships that bring. For those that want to take in every bit of Winter's Warmth's quiet beauty, there are lots of tasks and side quests that can keep you happy.
Winter’s Warmth seems like a game that would be aimed at children, but I think there’s a lot here for everyone. Winter’s Warmth pulls no punches: it has no qualms with killing off a cute squirrel in the game’s dark opening moments, with Too-Ticky reminding Moomintroll that the Lady of Frost isn’t cruel, she just is.
It’s a hard life lesson that all of us learn. Ultimately, Winter’s Warmth is about finding those warm spots in the cold and welcoming the new life of spring; it teaches us that even in the darkest, scariest places, there are ways to adapt and appreciate the world for what it is.
I hope that developer Hyper Games keeps letting me explore the Moomintroll world. If you crave some cozy exploration, you don’t need to be a fan of the Moomin franchise to enjoy this. And if you’re a fan, I hope Winter’s Warmth is as delightful to you as it was for me.