Reviews: A Short Hike
Spoiler free review of the game A Short Hike played on my steam deck
At Margot Plays, I review games that I have played focused on my experience, which is evolving as I play more games. In general the games’ story will have been completed, on easy mode if applicable and unless stated otherwise played on the steam deck OLED.
About the game
Hike, climb, and soar through the peaceful mountainside landscapes of Hawk Peak Provincial Park as you make your way to the summit.
Margot’s stats
Device: steam deck OLED
Difficulty: NA
Completed: yes
Time: ~2 hours
Summary: What a lovely little game. I loved that it is however long you kind of want it to be. You can rush through it or spend time chatting and exploring. There is lots to discover and the game does reward you to check out every corner.
Narrative and Gameplay
A short Hike is a lovely little indie game that invites you to slow down, breathe in the pixelated mountain air, and simply explore. But at the same time I felt a bit of anxiety throughout and I will explain why below.
You play as Claire, who seems to be staying at a park and is waiting for a phone call. The game starts with you getting the information that there is no phone signal unless you take the “short” hike to the top of the mountain. To me I read between the lines that this is a very important phone call and I felt the initial draw to try and run to the top of the mountain. After all it is an important phone call.
Having waited myself for phone calls all week, I was a bit more stressed than maybe the average person.
But in essence I got the vibe that this isn’t a game about rushing to the top, it’s about the moments in between. The world is vibrant and full of charm, with delightful characters, hidden treasures, and a variety of trails that reward curiosity. Whether you’re gliding through the sky, helping a fellow hiker, digging up some treasure, every interaction feels warm and meaningful. And you don’t seem to be in it for the reward. it generally seems to push kindness. Here and there you do help someone for your own gain but in general I got an impression of a feel good game supporting the message of kindness.
The NPCs are cute and varied and each have a different issue or story to tell. As everyone seemed so nice my other half asked me if I was playing Palworld. haha! I wasn’t sure if he realised that Palworld is more about survival than being friends and pals.
To be able to progress though you do need to explore and help some characters to unlock climbing abilities. How many of these, you will be told at the beginning of the trail. I collected a couple more than was suggested to be successful and once I figured out the climbing puzzle I managed it reasonably well.
The soundtrack adds to the cozy feel of the game with uplifting non intrusive music. I can’t say the music stood out to me but it added to the vibes.
Visually, the game is almost pixel art esque. I particularly loved the colours and trees. It was a great couple of hours of a kind of mindfulness, I would say.
Verdict - Recommend
This is a nice cozy game with some fun interactions. It’s short, sweet, and leaves a lasting impression in the form of a warm fuzzy feeling. If you’re looking for a wholesome escape that celebrates exploration and kindness, this hike is well worth taking.
GGL Monthly Gaming Club
We played A Short Hike as part of the
monthly gaming club, which is an easy going chilled group of gamers that get together and we vote on something to play next together. We are mindful of the time it may take and the cost of each game so it is accessible to all. We synced most of our backlogs now and in November we will play Toem but it is not too late to join us for October.
We also try and get together to have a little chat, but if that is not your thing you can just join the channel to chat in writing. :) Hopefully see you there. I am there most days :)
A Short Hike was so good! A true testament to map design and simple mechanics ❤️
This might be in my top 10 games of all time. It gives the impression of being light and simple, but every system is tuned to absolute perfection: the jump is just right, climbing feels great, flying is BRILLIANT, the pacing of upgrades and minigames, the map design...and all wrapped up in distinctive visuals and music, and funny, moving writing.
And it does all of that in a couple of hour. I'd happily argue that A Short Hike has more good ideas in its two hours than most 50+ AAA games.
A lot of the mechanics in this, and the way you upgrade them, are similar to Breath of the Wild, but tuned in quite a different way.
I'd love for there to be more small, dense games like this. Glad you enjoyed it! :)
See also: Haven Park, which is not as mechanically satisfying but has a very similar vibe, and dedicates an entire button on the controller to being able to say 'pew pew'.