The Moomins are white sugar creatures plump with visceral fat and love, and Finnish illustrator Tove Jansson built them a perfect world when she created them in 1945. It's not perfect in the sense that there is no pain – the cow-snouted Moomintrolls are capable of being as unhappy as the rest of us – but tragedy usually comes with a lesson. Life is unpredictable, but nature isn't always, and it's this philosophy that punches me in the nose when I play the Steam Next Fest demo for Moomintroll: Winter's Warmth.
The cozy puzzle adventure Winter's Warmth is the spiritual sequel to Oslo-based studio Hyper Games' first Moomin game adaptation, the devious, anti-authoritarian folk tale Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley. Like that narrative-rich game from 2024, Winter's Warmth, due on April 27, seems to balance the watercolor whimsy of its landscapes with a Stoic's commitment to temperance. Yes, the green leaves of the trees look blue and lovely in this weather – but don't be upset when the wind breaks the branch over your head.
