A Short Hike Review

I had heard of A Short Hike in passing when it released late last year on Steam. Fans and critics alike praised it highly for its wonderful pacing, unique visual style, and for not overstaying its welcome. It took me until I saw the announcement trailer during Nintendo's latest Indie World presentation to finally give the game a try; and good gravy did I have a good time when I did. It ended up piquing my interest because of my passion for short, well-designed indie games, and honestly now that I’ve played it, I can’t believe I didn’t bite sooner.

A Short Hike is a small-scale adventure game developed and published by Adamgryu, with a deliciously wonderful soundtrack composed by Mark Sparling. The game stars an anthropomorphic bird named Claire, a young girl who is on a vacation with her aunt in an island park. The premise is simple- get Claire to the top of the island’s mountain, called Hawk’s Peak, and have a relaxing time as you explore and scramble your way up. A Short Hike stays true to its name too, clocking in at just over two hours in my first playthrough, which is including most of the side content.

While the simplistic concept and truncated play-time might lead some to think that A Short Hike is devoid of content, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The island surrounding Hawk’s Peak is expertly crafted. There are dozens of characters to meet, collectibles and money to stuff your pockets with, and many secrets to uncover along the way. It’s this feeling of tight design where the game truly shines. The island is just big enough that it feels like there’s room to find your own path, but dense enough that no space feels wasted.

Exploring this well-crafted, bite-sized world is a treat within itself, simply because of Claire’s ability to jump, glide and climb - Breath of the Wild style - around the environment. These actions are all governed by the golden feathers, a set of collectibles you can find around the island that essentially act as a stamina meter. This allows you to wander through the environment at your own pace as you roam and discover more feathers, seamlessly meshing the side content and exploration with the main objective. This is all heightened by how gorgeous the game looks, with slightly-pixelated rendered beautiful landscapes that are painted with a color palette that’s a treat for the eyes. These varied locales are accompanied by Mark Sparling’s soundtrack, which is easily one of my favorite game soundtracks in recent memory. The songs fade in and out organically as you traverse from place to place, making each area feel even more distinct and memorable.

The script for the locals scattered across the island is absolutely exquisite, managing to make me genuinely laugh quite a few times; lending an air of charm and wit to everyone you encounter. On top of being fun, these critters are also useful to interact with. They can offer you tips and advice about the world, give you helpful items, start mini-games, or task you with side quests that spur you to explore the island even further. As the bow on top of an already overwhelmingly charming package, A Short Hike offers a heart-warming story that brought a tear to my eye as I wrapped up the few hours I spent with the game.

The one complaint I do have, however, is the inventory system. Each one of the dozen-plus items you can accrue through your journey is placed in a single file line in the inventory, making it cumbersome to search through and select a specific tool that you need. This is a blemish that only rears its head in certain situations, though it bothered me often enough to compel me to mention.

Honestly, I cannot recommend A Short Hike enough. It’s a breath of fresh air in a game industry that’s oversaturated with 40-hour, open-world epics and battle royales. It surpassed my expectations in every way, nailing nearly every aspect of its execution in a way that makes me fall in love with indie games all over again. Some may complain that it ends too soon, but I was personally fulfilled with the game exactly how it is.