Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley plays with Snufkin’s musical side – watch interview with Sigur Rós

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley is a game built on musical themes. Whereas in other games, protagonists often use weapons and tools, such elements would have felt alien to the protagonist of the game, Snufkin.

Armed with his mouth organ, the rebellious vagabond of Moominvalley relies on musical inspiration and the valleys’ friends to: traverse, level up and unlock new musical skills and instruments.

In the game, Snufkin is on a quest to restore harmony in Moominvalley, which has been taken over by parks mounted by the Park Keeper.  

Watch interview with Kjartan Sveinsson from Sigur Rós

The Icelandic rock band Sigur Rós collaborates music on the Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley game soundtrack. When composer Kjartan Sveinsson from Sigur Rós first heard about the possibility of featuring the band’s work on the soundtrack, he was hesitant: what music could possibly do Moominvalley justice? 

“When I think of Moominvalley, I don’t hear that much music. And when I heard about the idea of putting Sigur Rós music into this game, I wasn’t sure. Mainly because of respect towards Moominvalley. No music will do it justice.” 

Several of the Sigur Rós band members are Moomin fans, and the entire band visited Tove Jansson’s studio while in Helsinki on tour. 

In the video interview below, Kjartan Sveinsson shares how he discovered the Moomins and what he thinks about Tove Jansson’s description of the challenges of composing music. 

You’ll also see some gorgeous clips with gameplay from the upcoming game, which will be released on PC and Nintendo Switch in Q1 2024.

The Sigur Rós tracks featured in Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley are pre-existing songs from the band’s album () as well as arrangements by composer and sound designer Oda Tilset.

“She’s done a really good job, what she has chosen is really fitting”, says Sveinsson.  

“Many don’t realise how important the audio and music in video games are, but it’s probably the most effective way to get the right mood and atmosphere. Developing the audio of the game is to be equally important as the visual aspects, and of course, they both need to work perfectly together”, says Are Sundnes, co-founder and CEO at Hyper Games.

Music from the wild landscapes of rock, fire and ice

The Icelandic band Sigur Rós has been making soaring, atmospheric post-rock music since 1994. Known for their ethereal sound that combines cinematic soundscapes and classical, minimal elements, Sigur Rós’ music will create an engaging, wholesome layer to this cosy adventure game developed with utter admiration for Snufkin’s way of life.

The band calls home an island that is a wild landscape of volcanic rock, fire and ice, with mountains, glaciers and sea in every direction – sceneries that might as well be drawn from the early Moomin books.

The musical match sounds like quite a dream come true. How did the award-winning game studio Hyper Games end up getting such an iconic band to feature on the game’s soundtrack?

“We want the game to feel very Nordic, and the sound of Sigur Rós has some of the most Nordic atmosphere I can imagine”, says Are Sundnes.

“Honestly, I’m a huge fan of their music, and it could have been almost any of their albums. But we really like () because of its dynamic and melancholic sound, and have chosen tracks that we feel can represent different parts and moods of Moominvalley”, Sundnes adds.

Coming in Q1 2024

Watch the latest game trailer to get a taste of what the new Snufkin game will sound like! The trailer showcases a scene with Snufkin playing the harmonica and the players trying to match the melody.

“Restore the beauty of Moominvalley with the help of friends, music, and lighthearted vandalism”

The game is an ambient and wholesome experience for both kids and adults, combining open world-mechanics with puzzles, stealth and melodic elements.

In the game, the strict Park Keeper has built hideous parks everywhere and disrupted the natural balance of Moominvalley. Snufkin needs to help everyone bring the valley back to its beautiful origin.

The aim is to get the Park Keeper and his horrible parks out of Moominvalley with the help of a trusty harmonica, a bit of stealth, and the friends Snufkin will meet along the way!

Explore and protect Moominvalley on PC and Nintendo Switch in 2024 – and sign up to the newsletter on snufkin.game in the meantime!