A SHORT HIKE review - Short but Sweet

(Reviewed by Matthew Werner)

A Short Hike is a 2019 adventure game by Adam Robinson-Yu, published by Humble Games for itch.io, Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the Nintendo Switch. It follows Claire, a young bird whose mother has just had a major surgery. Advised to ascend to the top of Hawk Peak Mountain--the only part of the island with cellphone reception, which her mother and aunt have gone to many times before--she agrees to so that she can call her mom and see how she's doing after the surgery. From what I've said so far, it's no surprise that this game is an utter darling of the games press, because it's one of those indie games where everything's super cute, relatable, chill, and there's an emotional core to it beyond bloodshed. What it isn't whatsoever, mind you, is Animal Crossing meets The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild--that is a very dumb, nonsensical comparison, and I'm glad that no one has ever dared make it. Lighthearted jabs at The Verge aside, this game is just as delightful as practically anyone else who's played it will tell you; can be about as long as a film, far more rewarding than most of those.

As you will be able to tell via the screenshots, this game has a wonderfully unique art style which takes low-poly 3D models and then occasionally chews them up and spits them out so that everything looks like chunky pixel art. Trust me, you've never seen anything else that looks quite like this in a video game, and that's a major mark in its favor in my book. If I had to describe the world of A Short Hike in one word, it's something you'll see a lot of others using, because it wraps the game as a whole up neatly: quaint. This game is so delightful, charming--all of those words--and you can feel all of the love that's gone into crafting this thing. Adding to this serene atmosphere is Mark Sparling's terrific soundtrack, which is well worth picking up on its own if you're into these sorts of tunes.

Being an adventure game, story is unsurprisingly a major selling point for A Short Hike. Tender is the million dollar word here--everything about this game bleeds a sensitivity, warmth, and familial, communal love that is so rarely seen in media, let alone games. It's no tearjerker, though I can absolutely get anyone who may get choked up by it all. Its jokes aren't gutbusters, but they're not trying to be--they're trying to make you grin, and that's what they'll make you do.

You may be wondering how this game works mechanically, as it is evidently not a point & click--which is such a common way of doing adventure games that the two are practically synonymous. A Short Hike's interpretation of "adventure" is far more interested in you exploring this lush island, flying around and chatting with other anthropomorphized critters, than puzzles driven by moon logic (which is the term used to describe how classic point & click adventures often had ludicrously obscure answers to puzzles). This exploration will help you to attain golden feathers, which allow you to climb and fly farther than you otherwise would be able to. Gently nudging you towards seeing everything that the game has to offer, instead of tossing brick walls up in front of you where you need to decide what item from your inventory will make the carnivorous chicken get out of your path.

As far as issues with the game, I feel that those are pretty scant, but there are some minor moments of slight jank here and there, as the default control bindings are not entirely to my liking--though your mileage in that regard is certain to vary, depending purely on how your hands work, y'know.

All told, A Short Hike is a sublime experience, and another big huge win for indie game enthusiasts. Endearing, heartful, pretty as hell--do yourself a favor and pick this one if it strikes your fancy. It's a real delight. A Short Hike gets a 9.5/10.

Must play

Summary:

They say there's beauty in brevity, and A Short Hike is proof of that.