Moomin: Midsummer Madness Review

Even with no interest in the source material, it is hard to avoid the Moomins in some form or another. The high street will inevitably have some form of stationery, towel, or oven mitt with one or two characters emblazoned upon them. Gaming is no exception, with multiple titles being released recently, all with a warm reception highlighting the cosy atmosphere and faithfulness to the original vision. With a new developer and an approach at a new genre altogether, Moomin: Midsummer Madnesslooks to maintain the same standard while welcoming new gamers to the world of the traditional point and click adventure.

Any gamer who grew up with classic LucasArts titles and pinnacle of point and click adventures Discworld will feel completely at home with how to interact with the environment. Any part of the scenery can be investigated and characters spoken to for hints. Items can be taken, given and merged with each other to solve the objectives in your journal.

In keeping with the theme of a cosy, relaxing experience, nothing here is particularly taxing; no goats will need to be navigated past here. While some will see this as a criticism, it allows the story to be focused on, and more importantly, allows a deep sinking into the universe and the feeling of being as unbothered by the world as the Moomins themselves.

Breaking up the traditional gameplay are some fun minigames, all of which are also optional. The focus is purely on that warm, fuzzy feeling of the Tove Jansson books rather than some deep, thought-out, methodical gameplay loop. With that in mind, gamers are either going to revel in the atmosphere or wonder why they are having their hand held at every opportunity. One thing that cannot be argued, however, is how the gameplay fits so perfectly with the aesthetic.

Moomin: Midsummer Madness is absolutely gorgeous to look at. Bright, vibrant images pop on both the TV and in handheld mode, looking like they could have been drawn by hand for the books themselves. The characters also sparkle with personality, with Little My being a personal favourite, constantly out to cause trouble and actively mocking the frustratingly accommodating Moomin family. It is clear that a lot of time was spent ensuring all characters and situations were true to Moominvalley and its inhabitants.

Cubed3 Rating

Cosy games have really carved a spot in the market for themselves since the handheld revolution, and Moomin: Midsummer Madness fits in perfectly. With the nights drawing in and that feeling of lethargy creeping up after a long work day, a comfortable, chilled-out experience is exactly what is needed. With its beautiful visuals and a devotion and love to the phenomenon that inspired it, this will not only please Moomin fans, but also serve as a great introduction to those trying a traditional point and click adventure for the first time. A great starting point in which to graduate to the more mind-bending efforts.

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