Table of Contents
Introduction:
If you’re looking for a relaxing game to play while social distancing, you’ve come to the right place. A Short Hike is a cute exploration game. Your mission, explore the island, talk to everyone you meet along the way, and make your way to the top of the mountain. You play as Claire, a young… bird-person visiting the island and staying with her aunt. With her aunt’s encouragement, she pushes herself to get out of her comfort zone and climb to the mountain’s summit.
The gameplay of A Short Hike:
The game plays really well. It feels so good to fly around the island, diving for more speed and swooping around trees and cliffs. I would definitely recommend playing with a controller if you can, as the mouse and keyboard controls are not quite as easy to work with. Occasionally the fixed camera can cause a little trouble, usually when flying a long distance near cliffs but it’s rarely much of an issue.
The right thumbstick can be used to move the camera a little to each side if you need to get a better view, but this simplification of the camera controls makes this a good game for less experienced players since the camera pretty much takes care of itself. To complement this simple control scheme, the control mechanics are all introduced in a manageable way and there is very little platforming until the very end of the game.
One of the keys focuses of A Short Hike is meeting all of the characters on the island. Some of them have little side missions for you and others will just stop for a little chat. Just make sure you speak to everyone a few times as they have more than one set of dialogue. There isn’t much plot as such, but there is a little story following Claire as you learn more about her character.
Ending of A Short Hike Game:
The ending is sufficiently heartfelt without going overboard in getting an emotional response from the player as a lot of these indie games tends to do. Although I’m a big fan of low-poly art styles with vibrant colors, I’ve never been too fond of the use of pixel filters. It often results in weird effects around the edges of different colored objects that I find distracting.
However, I actually didn’t find that was the case this time. I stopped noticing it pretty quickly and started to enjoy the view as I flew around the mountainside. The dynamic music as you fly really adds to the experience, and the changing soundscape as you explore enhances the sense of wonder as you uncover new things. I really enjoyed playing A Short Hike. It’s a real gem of a game and I will not hesitate to recommend it to everyone I know.
It doesn’t have any frustrating elements, no complex puzzles that could bring progress to a halt, it doesn’t take a hard look at any themes that could be common triggers. It’s a purely fun experience full of cute characters and exploration. So, with no hesitation, I give A Short Hike the chill-out seal of approval. Thank you so much for reading the full article.