Cute as a picture book! “Moomin: Summer Festival in Moominvalley” keeps original charm and surreal humor—fun for all. [TGS2026]

The “TOKYO GAME SHOW 2026” was held at Makuhari Messe.

This event brings together a wide variety of games, ranging from highly anticipated new releases to promising titles yet to be discovered. In this article, we’ll introduce *Moomin: Summer Festival in Moominvalley* from the Shochiku Games booth.

This game stood out at the TGS venue for its uniquely “soothing” atmosphere. Even as someone who has had almost no exposure to Moomin in my life, I’ll share my impressions after actually playing it!

Immerse yourself in the Moomin world amidst beautiful visuals that look just like a picture book

This game is based on the novel *Moominvalley Summer Festival* by Finnish author Tove Jansson. Rather than being an original title, it feels more like a faithful adaptation of the source material, making it the perfect choice for gamers like me who have never encountered the Moomins before.

Players will control familiar characters like Moomin and Little My as they relive the original story firsthand.

At its core, the game is a point-and-click adventure with side-scrolling elements. You’ll explore the beautiful, laid-back world of Moomin by investigating points of interest, using and combining items you find along the way, and occasionally completing small mini-games.

In terms of gameplay, it’s very classic and straightforward—a simple game that can be enjoyed by players of all ages and genders.

That said, everything on the screen is adorable. The element that particularly caught my eye, above all else, is the beauty of the background illustrations. The hand-drawn art, inspired by Tove Jansson’s original illustrations, is absolutely stunning, giving you the sensation that you’re navigating right inside a picture book.

The Moomins and other uniquely charming characters also display incredibly expressive animations. Furthermore, it’s not just the characters that move—everything, including the beautiful backgrounds mentioned earlier, shifts with each scene, helping to bring the story to life across the entire screen.

As you progress through the game, the story takes a dramatic turn—a volcano actually erupts.

I always thought the Moomins were just about living a peaceful, everyday life in a serene world, but it turns out there are sudden twists like this thrown in too. I never knew that… (Also, the characters’ remarks are surprisingly sharp from time to time).

It’s precisely because this game stays true to the source material that it allows us to see this unexpected side of the Moomin world. Next, we’ll present an interview with Daniel, the development director at “Crossbridge Game Studios,” who worked on this title.

――This game is incredibly cute and heartwarming, making you feel as if you’re on an adventure inside a picture book. I felt it was a game that everyone—not just women and children—could enjoy. Was there anything in particular you kept in mind when bringing the Moomin world to life?

Daniel: The concept of “enjoyment for everyone” is precisely one of the reasons we chose the “Moomin” IP.

However, the Moomin universe is a bit unique—while it features beautiful nature and cuteness, it also includes episodes with a bit of an edge and sometimes biting dialogue. For example, there’s a plot twist where another planet suddenly falls from the sky, putting Earth in danger of destruction.

It’s not just cute—there’s also a bit of the unexpected. I approached this project with the intention of faithfully recreating in the game the same feel I experienced when reading the picture books as a child.

――The gameplay is based on point-and-click mechanics where players complete various mini-games. What kinds of mini-games will appear in this demo?

Mr. Daniel: The mini-games are primarily structured around puzzle-based gameplay. We’ve avoided complex actions or overly difficult challenges, instead preparing content that everyone from children to adults can enjoy. We’ve also included a wide variety of mini-games in each chapter to keep things from getting too monotonous, so please look forward to them.

――The graphics in this title are incredibly vibrant. What concepts and ideas guided the development team’s work?

Daniel: All the backgrounds and characters are hand-drawn and were created by four or five in-house animators. They worked very hard on them, so I’m really happy to hear such praise.
Conceptually, we strove to stay as faithful as possible to the original picture book. Also, when adapting it into a game, we took care to avoid making it too cartoonish so as not to compromise the Moomin universe.

――The popular character Snufkin didn’t appear in this demo version—will he be a playable character?

Mr. Daniel: That’s something you’ll have to discover for yourself once you play the game. It’s a secret (laughs).

“Moomin: Summer Festival in Moominvalley” is scheduled for release on November 12, 2026, on Steam, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. Why not take this opportunity to step into Moominvalley for yourself?

ムーミン全集［新版］１　ムーミン谷の彗星
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