Video game reviews are not something we often do on the Inn, but given how awesome and wholesome this game is (and given how much we all need some escapism these days), I figured why not.
This is A Short Hike. A game developed by Adam Robinson-Yu that is so wholesome, so charming, that it was capable of vastly improving my mood just a short half hour after first picking it up. Something that’s very welcome during these long pandemic days.
In A Short Hike, you play as a bird named Claire who is on holiday in a mountainous island called Hawk Peak. Claire is waiting on an important phone call from her mother, but unfortunately the only place with mobile reception is at the very peak of the island.
This basically just offers you an excuse to explore, although there is a small emotional pay-off when you eventually reach the top. At no point, however, does it ever feel like you absolutely have to get there. The game doesn’t force you into anything. Instead, the fun is all in the exploration. Wandering around and admiring the beautiful pixelated 3D scenery. Talking to the endearing characters — including a turtle who runs races and the world’s most overzealous rock climber. It’s all very low-key and relaxing, and this ties into the music, which really accentuates the feeling of fun, simple wonder. The type and tempo varies based on your location and how fast you’re travelling, making the game feel like one cohesive experience.
There are a number of small mini games you can play. You can fish, run a race, hit a volleyball with a stick, or ride a speedboat. Or you can just go off exploring on your own. The only thing that limits you is the number of “golden feathers” you have. These basically act as your stamina gauge, determining how long you can hike up rocky surfaces or how high you can fly. You gain more feathers through the completion of small quests and minigames, and there are enough of those that you should never feel stuck on what to do next.
For me, though, the real fun is in the flying. There’s something so soothing about climbing up somewhere high, jumping off the edge of a cliff, and then gliding over the trees and taking in the view.
A Short Hike is so charming and so relaxing that I’ve found myself putting it on just to unwind — long after I’ve done everything that there is to “do”. And that’s the magic of it, in my opinion. It perfectly captures that feeling of peaceful childhood days in the Autumn holidays.
I only wish that this game was longer. That it was bigger. It took me less than an hour to reach to top of Hawk Peak. Maybe three hours to complete all the tasks and minigames and see everything there was to see. But then, maybe the scale is part of what makes it feel so cosy.
My only other complaint is the camera controls (or lack of them). The camera in A Short Hike dynamically adjusts based on your position, with no user input, and while this is fine for the majority of the game, it occasionally takes up slightly frustrating positions.
When I picked up A Short Hike, it was around £6 on the Nintendo store for the Switch version. But it’s also available on desktop from all the usual vendors, and was recently part of Itch.io’s Black Lives Matter collection, for anyone who picked up that bundle a few months back.
I love this game, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for something cosy, charming, and relaxing to unwind with.
A Short Hike is available on Desktop and Nintendo Switch.
Buy A Short Hike on: Steam / GOG / Itch.io / The Nintendo Store US / UK
