A Short Hike

An extremely charming game with enjoyable mechanics to boot. My only gripe is how hard I found it to find my way around the mountain. Lots of areas looked the same and without any sort of map, I was running circles looking for the chest I couldn't reach earlier, or to turn in my shells.

As par for the apropos course, here is a short review of A Short Hike:

A Short Hike captures the essence of a full, rich day of summer. It’s a day without television, video games, and there isn’t any cell reception for miles. This combination is perceived as a modern teenager's worst nightmare. That is, until they are pushed into experiencing a day like this in a rustic environment and unlock a sense of wonder. This happens to anthropomorphic bird-girl Claire whose parents force her to stay awhile with her park ranger aunt and bask in the magic of the outdoors. The main objective during her day without electronic stimulation is to hike to the peak of a mountain, humorously motivated by the fact that it’s the only place with cell phone reception. Before Claire can take on this daunting task, she must acquire a certain number of golden feathers that increase her endurance. These feathers can either be bought, found, or obtained through completing tasks for the various NPCs. On her way up the mountain, Claire will cross sandy beaches, craggy mountain paths paved with pine trees, autumnal cliff sides, man-made lighthouses and power lines, and so many other parts that make up the glorious landscape. The DS graphics are endearing and the buttery-smooth framerate is ideal for Claire’s running and gliding movements. The player will become as occupied with the bevy of possibilities that Claire’s day presents that the “short hike” that the title alludes to will be prolonged extensively. Like a kid who has spent the day outside, the player will not want the game to end when Claire climbs that mountain and dusk signals the end.

A Short Hike is the walking simulator with 3D platforming elements that Journey should’ve been.

Heartfelt and magical and great and all that. However, one thing about this that blows other games like it out of the water is that it has perfect game feel. The flying mechanic feels better than basically any other I've ever tried. It is a few hours of gameplay, and all of it is great. All killer no filler.

You play as a bird, Claire (looks penguin-esque to me). You are in a mountain retreat, and want to climb the Hawk Peak in order to get a good phone signal and make a phone call. Probably a very legitimate motivation for today’s generation.

As you venture along the mountain paths, you will meet all kinds of animal characters. Some of which give you side-quests. You collect some coins and buy a Golden Feather from the shop. You learn that these aid your jumping/gliding, and climbing ability and so you need to collect these to reach the top of the mountain.

I really enjoyed the exploration and the mountain seems well designed. Many paths branch off, and it’s a good idea to explore them to collect coins on the ground, or find more valuable stashes in treasure chests. You can find some Golden Feathers out in the open, some are from side-quests, and some are purchased from certain characters.

Like the game’s title suggests, it is a short game, only lasting around an hour unless you choose to explore in great detail and complete all side-quests. The fishing mechanic is one distraction that I didn’t spend too much time on (I caught 3 different species).

The graphics are incredibly pixelated but you can tweak a filter in the options in order to smooth it out. I think it’s a well-made game, and has a nice soundtrack. I felt you get a good feeling from the exploration, and could easily see myself enjoying a longer version of the game.

An unexpected hit of 2019, A Short Hike became the favorite of many gamers. The game is rather simple, it consists of a bird that has to climb to the top of a mountain so she can get cellphone reception so she can receive a call. The bird is able to glide and with the acquisition of golden feathers climb cliffs and jump a little higher. The more golden feathers you acquire, the more you are able to climb steeper parts. Eventually you get to 8 feathers and and are able to reach the top, and then the game is over. That is the game. Well there's a few side things to do like grabbing a shovel and pickaxe or optionally purchasing a hat, but that's about it.

I don't want to tell what people what to enjoy or not, but for me it was a rather mediocre experience. The best part is when you reach a high part and you just jump down and just start gliding in the hopes of finding a place with treasure chest (which has coins, in order to buy the golden feathers). The rest is nothing very exciting Apparently this game is relaxing and that's the appeal. Well I don't know, my finger kinda hurts now from having to press Z so much. I didn't feel very "relaxed" while playing it, but it wasn't oppressive or anything like that. At least it was indeed Short like the title says. I guess this one just wasn't for me!

This is a really pleasant, minimalistic, hiking adventure, that should take under an hour to reach the ending, although the island offers up more mini quests and treasures to explore to increase that time up to three hours.

It presents itself as this lo fi pixel art aesthetic, but in 3d, making it feel essencially like a spiced up PS1 game. Music is mostly relaxing, summery folk vibes.

Its the sort of game that is not played for the depth of gameplay, but more due to its so pleasing atmosphere. Feels like a summer day in youth, where your worries are about climbing a mountain and discovering friends. Love all the charm and obvious care that was placed into this game.

Despite how simple the gameplay is, the jumping and climbing feels very satisfying, and the level design is smart enough to allow multiple routes and solutions to the obstacles it offers. The climbing mechanic is very similar to the one on Breath of the Wild, though distilled to its bare essence.

Storywise its a very thin layer, but still packs an emotional ending because of the (short) journey it took to get there.

A very pleasant, gem of a game.