Midsummer Madness” is as cute and cozy as it is repetitive – SmashPad

I’m fairly new to the Moomin world, and if it weren’t for Adriana’s 5-star review of Moomintroll: Winter’s Warmth and the constant PR pitches of these games in my inbox, I wouldn’t know about it. These big white moose things that keep calling themselves trolls definitely have a cute vibe, though, and the mix of character interaction and the beauty of the world will keep you invested in this point-and-click if you can get through its repetitiveness.

In Moomin: Midsummer Madness, you play as both Moomintroll and Little My as the eruption of a nearby volcano causes a massive flood in Moominvalley. The story unfolds over six chapters through formulaic point-and-click gameplay, with the journey playing out in ways that make sense while teaching players a clear overarching lesson. The themes are what gave Winter’s Warmth its charm, and though a different developer made Midsummer Madness, it does a solid job of capturing the look and feel of Tove Jansson’s classic art and storybooks. Unlike Winter’s Warmth, though, Midsummer Madness is more of a traditional point-and-click, so it’ll take some getting used to if playing on a handheld or console.

Each chapter relies on you finding various collectibles, either to satisfy NPCs’ needs or to let Moomintroll or Little My travel and explore each area safely. These collectibles also often act as a step to find more collectibles, making the whole experience feel a little bit like a checklist, hence the repetition. Still, doing the right thing is often rewarding, because there’s plenty of enjoyment in making the characters happy and seeing the interactions from the cheeky Little My and more subdued Moomintroll.

To mix things up, some of the tasks you perform will be accompanied by little puzzles and minigames. From a matching game in Chapter 1 to a block maze in Chapter 2 that Little My has to solve to reach the other side of a pile of junk in the attic, they offer a welcome respite from the usual point-and-click action, which can be confusing and frustrating. Despite the breath of fresh air they present, if you also find the puzzles too confusing and frustrating, they can be skipped at any time.

While the game is clearly designed as a family game, its progression is nowhere near as obvious or straightforward as something like Bluey. Those kinds of games literally held your hand all the way to the credits and the platinum trophy, whereas Midsummer Madness, much like Moomintroll himself, is quite subdued. Progression is as simple as following the notes on your checklist, but attention to detail is important. In Chapter 2, I was running around aimlessly, not knowing how to move on until I realized the fishbowl in my possession could be used as a helmet to help Moomintroll breathe underwater. In that same chapter, while setting up some books as a stool with a box on top to get a cup from a high cupboard, I forgot I could take control of Little My to go grab it. This is actually a key gameplay feature–Little My isn’t just following Moomintroll around. There’s even a point in the game where they get separated, and it was a fun little journey bringing them back together.

As mentioned, the game is more of a traditional point-and-click because of its UI design. If you’re coming from Winter’s Warmth, which was made from the ground up with a controller in mind, you might find the controls a bit archaic. I played on a Switch 2, and I enjoyed it most while traveling. It was the first game on the platform where I felt most comfortable using mouse controls. Sitting on a flight with the tray table down and using the Joy-Con as a mouse while the system was in tabletop mode felt more natural than playing docked, but I also struggled with the characters’ free movement with mouse controls, and it was hard to find a happy medium. This is unfortunate, because I genuinely enjoyed the game when it was released on PlayStation, especially since it was an easy Platinum. Midsummer Madness is only available on PC, Switch, and Switch 2, so luckily I played it without worrying about achievements, but I’m sure this game will eventually be primed for a wider release.

A full playthrough of Moomin: Midsummer Madness should take players no longer than four hours, but while it’s short, my fumbling with the controls and trying to get through the repetitiveness of some puzzles somehow made those four hours feel long. Still, the game’s overall charm and the lessons it teaches about how communities cope with disaster are definitely worth experiencing, so I’d still recommend it, especially once a significant sale hits.