Back in July of 2024, I had the pleasure of attending the first-ever SkyFest in Tokyo, Japan, where thatgamecompany announced Sky: Children of the Light’s upcoming collaboration with the Moomins. While Moomins might not be a household name for everyone, including myself, Sky fans’ reactions both in the room and online were immense, so I couldn’t wait to try out the Season of Moomin.
Much like the previous Season of the Little Prince and Season of Aurora, Sky: Children of the Light’s Season of Moomin takes the standard Sky gameplay and tweaks it a little to tell stories through a unique lens. Instead of exploring Moominvalley as your Sky kid, you transform into a butterfly, observing the goings-on of the valley from afar. Usually, lost spirits in Sky guide you through their memories to progress, but in this season you take on the role of guide, helping Ninny the Invisible Child along her journey to regain her body and her confidence.
Ultimately, Ninny’s story is about transformation and growth, so the butterfly mechanic works perfectly alongside the beautiful animated versions of Tove Jansson’s compelling story. Not only do you get to witness Ninny’s own transformation, but through the work you do together, the color returns to Moominvalley. Sky is already one of the best cozy games out there, but the Season of Moomin content adds a whole new layer of heartwarming charm.
Emotional storytelling is at the heart of Sky’s charm and community, and Moomin is the perfect collaboration to take advantage of this. Even though Ninny’s story and the additional Moominvalley tales in this season use subtitles and speech bubbles while Sky’s native plot is almost entirely wordless, it blends seamlessly into the existing Sky world as if Jansson wrote the story exclusively for the game.
Of course, a new Sky season doesn’t just introduce fresh story elements, but there are plenty of Moomin-inspired cosmetics to get your hands on. I’m personally a big fan of the flower crown hairstyle, but there are also full Snufkin and Little My-inspired sets to collect if you fancy cosplaying another of Jansson’s iconic characters. The Sky team has done an incredible job at incorporating Ninny’s invisibility into the season’s offerings too, with some of the costumes making your Sky kid partially invisible as you run around and explore Aviary Village and Moominvalley.
Whether you’re a Sky veteran or you’ve never played the game before, I highly recommend checking out the Season of Moomin. The season starts on October 14 and runs through December 29th, so there’s plenty of time to explore Moominvalley with Ninny, Moomintroll, and Snufkin.
If you’re interested in learning more about Sky: Children of the Light’s community, check out our coverage from SkyFest, including our interview with CEO Jenova Chen. We’ve also got tons of recommendations for other free mobile games and free Switch games for you to try out.