Publisher Shochiku Games and developer Crossbridge Game Studios have announced that Moomin: Midsummer Madness, point-and-click adventure, will launch for Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam this fall, with a physical edition planned for Nintendo Switch at launch. The window was revealed on August 9, Moomin’s Day, the annual celebration held on the birthday of Moomins creator Tove Jansson.
Based on Tove Jansson’s 1954 novel Moominsummer Madness, Moomin: Midsummer Madness preserves the core narrative while introducing original scenes and puzzles. The story kicks off with Moomintroll waiting for Snufkin to return from his travels, just as a sudden flood overtakes Moominvalley. Caught in the rising waters, the Moomin family seeks refuge in a strange floating building. They soon discover it is a fully equipped theater, packed with a stage, scripts, and costumes. Players take control of Moomintroll and Little My on their journey back home, reuniting the scattered family along the way. The adventure features plenty of familiar faces from the beloved book series, including Fillyjonk, Mymble, and Emma the Stage Rat.
Designed as a low-pressure experience, the game is easy for anyone to pick up. The puzzles are short and forgiving, exploration feels unhurried, and a hint system is readily available for players who get stuck. Progress often relies on a character-swapping mechanic where players switch between cast members to use their unique strengths. One character might be strong swimmer, while another is small enough to slip into tight spaces. The minigames focus on quick, personality-filled tasks. In one scenario, Little My delivers a weather report to the Hattifatteners by catching storm clouds, with a progress bar cleverly shaped like a Hattifattener. Water also serves as a major recurring theme in the design. Crossbridge Creative Director Julia Loshkareva wanted swimming to feature heavily, noting how it shifts the mood and changes the feel of a space. She points to the submerged Moominhouse and the quiet of a Midsummer night as key examples of making a familiar world feel delightfully strange again.
A major focus of the development was staying true to Tove Jansson’s iconic art style. It took the Crossbridge art team months to translate her original drawings into the game’s hand-painted environments. According to Loshkareva, nearly everything on screen is a specific reference in the books or comics. The studio crafted hundreds of unique animations by closely studying exactly how Jansson captured a particular pose or expression. The team even experimented with a black and white aesthetic before settling on a palette of soft, faded tones designed to feel like a cherished childhood book. As Loshkareva notes, the entire project was originally sparked by a single developer who had dreamed of making a Moomin game since he was a kid.
Moomin: Midsummer Madness is available to wishlist now on Steam.