A starry night sky. A lone car on the road. Birds chirping in the distance and the reliable hum of a car. These opening impressions lull the player into a relaxed mindset, which is a key part of this game, but swiftly after those start screen impressions, the game electrifies you with its open world. Bright colors, lack of clear directions, gentle gusts of wind and the various nature sounds are all inviting you to explore the world of A Short Hike.
The start screen of the game, inviting you to its calming atmosphere.
The plot of A Short Hike can be summarized quite easily. The player character is Claire, a young bird vacationing at Hawk Peak Provincial Park, which consists of a bigger island with plenty of mountainside in addition to a couple of smaller landmasses. Claire is waiting for an important phone call, but the reception is bad at the lower levels of the park, therefore Claire has to hike to the summit to receive the phone call. From there, the game gives free rein to the player over how to proceed and how long to spend adventuring. One player might head straight for the summit and complete the game in an hour, while another one might try to explore the park to its fullest, learning about the different characters visiting the island and of the possible activities for close to five hours.
Claire at the starting area of the game, ready to explore with a shovel.
One of the most impressive things about the game is how elegantly it gestures the player to explore its world. The game does not include any sort of game over screen, enemies or other major punishments for the player, which all help the player to feel safe and open to find at their own pace and order. A mini-map or any another type of map is also not a part of the game, which makes it so the world doesn’t just feel like a list of tasks and places to go through but a living, breathing area to soak in. The exploration also enhances the main objective of the game, both mechanically and thematically. By completing smaller objectives, the player receives golden feathers, which ease hiking up the mountain tremendously by extending the height which the player can fly and climb over. Thematically, the connections that Claire gains throughout the journey are a comforting force, which is something that Claire needs as you learn towards the end of the journey. The whole feel of the game is also quite calm, which nicely feeds into that need.
The rewards for all this exploration are well worth it. Beyond just being able to bask in the beautiful and cozy vistas, there are items to find that will deepen the sense of adventure. Many of the available items will broaden the possibilities of discovery, for example a shovel will allow you to find buried treasures, the fishing rod will make the ocean feel more than an obstacle and with golden feathers you gain access to greater heights. In addition, the different characters that you can meet on your journey deliver a lot of smirk-worthy dialogue and some of the slightly longer side-quests can even be quite heartwarming. With so much to feel and find, it feels impossible to continue the main plot of the game before discovering every nook and cranny of this park.
Claire gliding through the air, exploring the mountainside.
There are a couple of aspects that bump against achieving full immersion into this adventure. Due to the generally low stakes of the game, controls don’t necessarily have to be the best, but in some small moments, they can be lacking. While walking on narrow paths or taking part in small races, the limited directional movement can get somewhat frustrating in their lack of sophistication. Additionally, keeping track of all the different locations can be confusing without guidance, even as it helps make the adventure feel grander. The camera can also jerk awkwardly to new positions very occasionally, disorienting the player’s sense of location.
A Short Hike delivers a delightful journey to a player of any age. Its gentle sensibilities are sure to stop one in their tracks and take in the relaxing experience on offer, with an ending that might even squeeze a couple of tears out of you.
Basic Information
Publisher: adamgryu
Developer: adamgryu
Platforms: Windows, MacOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
Release Dates:
July 30, 2019, for Windows, MacOS and Linux
August 18, 2020, for Nintendo Switch
November 16, 2021, for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
Genre: Adventure
PEGI: 3
Photos: screenshots from A Short Hike (adamgryu, 2019), taken by the author.
Engrossed in all things media and writing. Open to all kinds of games, quality can be found in any genre. Drawn to strong visions, innovative ideas, or simply excellent execution.
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