A Short Hike

 PC
User Score
8.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 188 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 149 out of 188
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 188
  3. Negative: 5 out of 188

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  1. Trixxstrr
    Sep 3, 2023
    9
    Nice chill little game to climb a mountain to get cell reception. Nice characters and environment.
  2. utoku
    Aug 1, 2023
    9
    It's beautiful. Flying mechanics are amazing. It's like a little breath of the wild.
  3. BleedingJester
    Mar 5, 2023
    8
    its a fun and short game that that can be finished within 2 hours if you focus on the story but the game wants you to explore around the island and complete the various side quests that are relatively fun the highlight was definitley the atmosphere for me as it does a great job of setting up a nice relaxing vacation the graphics are also really nice to look at
  4. PublicNuisance
    Feb 20, 2023
    8
    A Short Hike can come off as a very simple game but it does have some unexpected depth to it. The overall goal is to make it to the top of the peak. In order to do so you must get a certain amount of golden feathers. Past this is where the depth comes in. In order to get these feathers you can find them or buy them. Either way you must explore the park. In doing so you will come across aA Short Hike can come off as a very simple game but it does have some unexpected depth to it. The overall goal is to make it to the top of the peak. In order to do so you must get a certain amount of golden feathers. Past this is where the depth comes in. In order to get these feathers you can find them or buy them. Either way you must explore the park. In doing so you will come across a wide range of characters with interesting stories as well as opportunities for additional game play. My favourite was following around a painter and finding out what troubles they are going through in trying to find inspiration. You will find a variety of items you can put to use such as a shovel which allows you to dig holes to recover money and other items. You can find treasure maps which will give you hints of where to find treasure. You will find a bucket which if you bring water to certain plants will help you scale some areas easier. This is all little things that added to the game play variety. There are some things the game could have done better. For instance there is no quest log so you have to remember what certain people wanted and where they are located. The game also could have used a proper map, there is a compass but that was of little help for me. The music was well done and added to the chill relaxation vibes that the game had going. The visuals were a mixed bag. While I thought colour palette was bright and was really pleasant the game was still a pixel game which meant not a ton of detail. It was better than ninety nine percent of pixel games but the style has limits.

    I played A Short Hike on Linux. It never crashed and I didn’t notice any bugs. The game auto saves on exit as well at certain points throughout the game. This wasn’t an issue but a manuals ave system would have been a nice option. There was just one save slot in the game that kept getting overwritten and you can’t have more than one save game going at once. There was a resolution option; four other game settings and a v-sync toggle. Alt-tab didn’t work. Performance wise the game ran flawlessly and saw next to dips in frame rate.

    Game Engine: Unity
    Graphics API: OpenGL
    Disk Space Used: 351 MB
    Game Version Played: 1.9_v3

    Game Settings Used: 1920x1080; highest settings; v-sync on
    GPU Usage: 0-57 %
    VRAM Usage: 538-657 MB
    CPU Usage: 9-37 %
    RAM Usage: 3.4-3.7 GB
    Frame Rate: 134-144 FPS

    Overall I had a good time with A Short Hike. It was relaxing; had good variety; and really you get out of it what you put into it with the exploration. It’s warts were minor and not game breaking. I finished the game in one hour and forty five minutes but I didn’t finish all side quests. I paid $8.99 CAD for it and felt that was well worth the money.

    My System:

    Intel i7-6700 | 16GB DDR4-3000 CL15 | XFX RX 590 8GB Fat Boy | Mesa 22.3.5 | Samsung 870 QVO 1TB | Garuda | Mate 1.26.0 | Kernel 6.1.12-zen1-1-zen | AOC G2460P 1920*1080 @ 144hz    … Expand
  5. Ender_Claddy217
    Feb 3, 2023
    10
    Absolutely loved this game, really meditative gameplay and beautiful art style
  6. BaldursThones
    Jan 20, 2023
    9
    Its short, concise, and a lot of fun. I especially loved the soundtrack, and the cheerful dialogue.
  7. BugOnDesk
    Jan 15, 2023
    10
    If you want to have a short break from combat, racing, surviving crises, play A Short Hike!
  8. vinijec976
    Jan 4, 2023
    8
    A short hike is a game with a somewhat simple premise, to get to the top of a mountain. At the start of the game you are on an island with a mountain and need to use your cell phone to make a call, but the only place with cellphone reception is the top of the mountain. This is basically the whole story of the game, and this is where the journey of Claire, a cute and cuddly little bird,A short hike is a game with a somewhat simple premise, to get to the top of a mountain. At the start of the game you are on an island with a mountain and need to use your cell phone to make a call, but the only place with cellphone reception is the top of the mountain. This is basically the whole story of the game, and this is where the journey of Claire, a cute and cuddly little bird, begins.

    The game has an incredible soundtrack, relaxing songs that accompany you throughout the walk, along with great sounds of the environment, the wind passing, the rain, the water from the rivers that flow down to the immensity of the sea, forest animals and many others, creating a fascinating environment. Mark Sparling has done an exceptional job composing the music for the game. The graphics are beautiful, a simple but effective pixel art, bringing a feeling of something cozy.

    Its gameplay is not complex at all, you can walk, glide and climb, there are some other items you can get that contain other interactions as well. To climb longer or fly higher you need to collect golden feathers, they would be like a kind of stamina. But now, how to get them? That's where the game shines, its exploration. To find them you gotta search on the map, exploring is the whole point of the game. The main focus of the game isn't the end of the story, the conclusion itself, but your journey until you get there. The new friends you make, playing stick volleyball with them, meeting a fisherman and learning how to fish, racing, gliding, climbing, digging and a lot of other things you can make, this is what A short hilke is about.

    It is a short game, it is possible to finish it in less than 2 hours, but to enjoy everything the world created by Adamgryu can offer, this time can triple, it is extremely satisfying to see the characters moving, their actions actually changing the scenery, this gives the feeling that the place is alive. All this exploration makes the replayability factor very strong, you feel like playing again to see if you have left something behind, a new item, a conversation with a character, or even a branch fallen on the ground. Short Hike is a game that should be played, no doubt about it.    … Expand
  9. Dudeman15
    May 5, 2022
    10
    Epic gave this game for free and a friend told me I should play it. I was not sure it looked like **** to me (you can make this game look correct with the settings).

    Once I played this, I had so much fun. It's a short game. It's comforting to play.

    Treat yourself, play this.
  10. SaulBadman
    May 5, 2022
    8
    Just a fun short game. Game is mostly relaxed but engaging enough to keep you playing.
  11. YHLTheBard
    May 1, 2022
    9
    It had me crying, when I just exploring world. There ia no sad moments, but there is clearly small peace of wholesome moments and happiness. Just a little fun adventure with awesome dialogues, amazing world and funny moments. Love it.
  12. Spaceboys
    Mar 25, 2022
    9
    A great wee game. Short as is in the title but fun the whole way through. Beautiful world, charming characters satisfying movement mechanics.
  13. Echozone
    Feb 25, 2022
    9
    This was, without any exaggeration, one of the best short-form video game content I've played. The characters, the dialogue, the atmosphere, the art style, everything was perfect. This really is a game that isn't best described, but played.
  14. firstmode
    Nov 30, 2021
    10
    I love this game, it was such a healing for me to get back into games and enjoy simplicity and beautiful storytelling and art. I highly recommend people try this game even if it is not the type of game they normally play. I really love this game and will always remember it.
  15. savvym
    Nov 26, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A Short Hike is fun. 99% positive reviews are well deserved. It rewards exploration, there are many nice characters and good dialogues, a few minigames, like fishing, you can sell fish, volleyball with sticks, also got coins. The main effort is to gain feathers to climb the peek.

    There is also another minigame with water bucket which when filled grows plants that work like trampoline. We can glide from the get go and feathers help us reach higher places either by flapping the wings or climbing the walls. Camera also adjusts automatically as we move around the island.

    Different angle helps us find treasures that are normally hidden, we can also find maps with leads but not sure if I followed them well. On top of things we can also dig at the holes but to achieve it, we need to find something else for trade. Rent a fast boat for a day.

    You can also dive into water which did not seem to do anything than just look good. Or open up a path into the mine to create a shortcut through mountain.

    Collecting coins is the main leisure thing to do as we can afford more feathers from traders or get them rewarded.

    Verdict

    Amazing. Unique world design. You gradually gain more abilities and items. You get to know some more and less cool characters. Looking at just pictures, it is not nicest but put them in motion and they become charming.    … Expand
  16. Denvers
    Nov 18, 2021
    9
    Fantastic in its simplicity. At the end, I craved more, but I knew more would soil the experience. Because of how short the game is, everybody should have enough time to play this (and they should!)
  17. C410
    Sep 25, 2021
    9
    A Short Hike (Só Uma Trilhazinha, para os mais íntimos) é a escolha perfeita para aquela tarde de sábado. O jogo não tenta em nenhum momento ser diferente do que o título sugere. Mas não se engane, isso não quer dizer que o jogo apresenta só uma caminhada do ponto A ao ponto B. A Short HIke se preocupa muito com a construção da caminhada, isso fica muito explícito na qualidade dos diálogosA Short Hike (Só Uma Trilhazinha, para os mais íntimos) é a escolha perfeita para aquela tarde de sábado. O jogo não tenta em nenhum momento ser diferente do que o título sugere. Mas não se engane, isso não quer dizer que o jogo apresenta só uma caminhada do ponto A ao ponto B. A Short HIke se preocupa muito com a construção da caminhada, isso fica muito explícito na qualidade dos diálogos (e da tradução deles, dado que o jogo é totalmente traduzido para PT BR). Além disso, a arte do jogo é cativante (independentemente de sua escolha por polígonos crocantes ou minúsculos) , e os cenários possuem certa variedade. Apesar da movimentação ficar um pouco estranha ao se jogar no teclado, os controles não chegam a ser ruins, apresentando certa precisão, mesmo quando se joga usando as teclas. Por fim, o game ainda possui músicas e efeitos sonoros condizentes com sua direção de arte e proposta. Um título quase que obrigatório para os amantes dos indies e dos polígonos.… Expand
  18. churros
    Sep 24, 2021
    8
    Pros:
    + fun
    + relaxing
    + short
    + easy controls

    Cons:
    - can look ugly on bigger screens
  19. John_II
    Aug 13, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. TLDR:

    This game is a short and sweet adventure up a mountain. The soundtrack is charming and plays well with the areas you're in. Every time you round a corner in this small world, you're uncovering something new.

    For $10 - I highly recommend this relaxing, fun, whimsical and adventurous game. It's worth 2-3 hours of your life to get to Hawk Peak and explore this world of adventure.

    Review:

    In the words of a wise old man - there are two sides to happiness: pleasure and joy.

    Pleasure is fleeting and while it may give higher highs, it also leaves us empty when it leaves. Pleasure is what you get from e.g. Call of Duty. It's fast-paced and frantic and a huge adrenaline dose. But then we are left burnt out after (at least I am).

    Joy is calmer, but it comes from building something you like, and growing and coming to realizations about what is important. It is not as high as Pleasure, but it stays with you. A Short Hike is Joy. It stays with you, it makes you feel better and lets you reflect.

    Let me start with a 3 nitpicks because this game is otherwise amazing.

    1. The graphics are pixelated and you may not care for the aesthetic. I think on a small screen for a Switch or a laptop, it's not so bad. But I cannot imagine this holding up on a big screen TV, which is a shame because I am dying to play this with a controller when it comes to PS4 this fall.

    2. I think what else would have made this game better was a big map of the whole world. Yes, you can find one online, but I wish there was one in game. It could have been toggled on and off. Make no mistake, getting around is easy enough because of the size of the world, but I really wish I could have just looked at a map once in a while.

    3. I wish there was a list of quests in the game. I had to start making one on a notepad to keep track of e.g., collecting 15 shells, finding that guy's watch, finding this guy's headband, and so on. If it's in the game, I missed it.

    Now, to get back to why all of the above are mere nitpicks and list the positives:

    1. I happen to like the art-style in this game, and it is an indie game. It doesn't need better graphics to make it an enjoyable game.

    2. I don't think there was ever a time I spent more than like 2 minutes trying to find something. The world has enough unique features and landmarks that I can find my way around.

    3. This game is supposed to be relaxing. If I had a to-do list, I would be trying to complete it the whole time instead of really exploring or talking to people as intended.

    Other positives:

    You don't need all the golden feathers to get to Hawk Peak. I could not do it with 10, but I could with 12. I suspect 11 is enough as well. I love that you don't have to be a completionist to actually finish the game.

    I love that this game is about 2-3 hours (for me) because now, like e.g. Journey (which is also a masterpiece) and unlike e.g. Destiny 2 ( a looter-shooter), I have the urge to do it all over again. It was fun enough and short enough that I will come back and do it all over again, on PS4 once it is out.

    The story is about Claire, whom I surmised was probably aged 13-21 based on her behaviour. But Claire comes off as someone who just wants to make a phone call - being her motivation for going to Hawk Peak - until the end of the game. Once at Hawk Peak, Claire gets a call from her mother who is recovering from surgery and it's really touching. I really liked that moment and even though there is scant dialogue and no voice-overs, you still feel the moment.

    The soundtrack by Mar Sparling is amazing. Just see for yourself: https://youtu.be/xsagJ3BYUAs.

    There is a subtle point in the design that makes this game memorable and makes you want to explore it to the fullest: You cannot die and you cannot really fail at anything in this game. I think this doesn't get enough credit in games.

    Because nothing hurts you (it can only set you back), you really are encouraged to explore to the fullest. You'll try to make jumps, go off the beaten path, and probably even try some fishing. That's how you enjoy this game. Your limitations are only how much time you have to play. Because the more you play/explore, the more golden feathers you find and the more you can do and the more you can do, the more of the world you can see and enjoy.

    And that's the beauty of A Short Hike - the game is about exploring, learning, and growing at your own pace. It's such a holiday from regular life and yet it IS a metaphor for real life.

    To end on the Correct Note:

    This review is my ringing endorsement of this game. Please try this game. I think the industry needs more like it, and I hope we do get more like it. This game is a masterpiece worthy of your time and money.    … Expand
  20. byAEG7
    Jun 16, 2021
    8
    Great game to just relax on an evening with its simple narrative and great atmosphere, its a short experience but one you will likely remember for a long time
  21. player_101
    Apr 5, 2021
    10
    Although it's not my favourite kind of game I enjoyed every minute of it.
    My girlfriend gave it to me as a present and it was a very nice surprise.
  22. memehardt
    Feb 9, 2021
    9
    A very fun, calming game with a beautiful art style. The character interactions are great and the game can be funny and also emotional. It's a very short game and I finished it in 1 and a half hours, but there is still more to do for me and I'm exited to continue playing this. The ending was great and emotional, though I'm not sure this is too replayable.
  23. Serapter1
    Feb 8, 2021
    9
    Not the type of game for people who like to sweat completions. It's a game meant to be taken slowly as you find golden feathers, fish up new breeds of fish, and talk to all the charming characters on this mountain path.

    Points taken away: I played on controller, but have heard that keyboard controls are BAD if you're looking for a good game for your money. I mean even though A Short    Not the type of game for people who like to sweat completions. It's a game meant to be taken slowly as you find golden feathers, fish up new breeds of fish, and talk to all the charming characters on this mountain path.

    Points taken away:

    I played on controller, but have heard that keyboard controls are BAD
    if you're looking for a good game for your money. I mean even though A Short Hike is amazing, I know many people that would rather spend $20 on a game I'll play for 100 hours than a $8 game that you spend like 4 hours on.    … Expand
  24. scorpio805
    Feb 1, 2021
    10
    Increíble, una experiencia inolvidable, de principio a fin. Una de las mejores obras de su año, sino de su década
  25. SuperkenGaming
    Nov 21, 2020
    8
    A Short Hike
    Short But sweet
    A Short Hike is a tiny adventure game where you play as Clair, a bird that sets out to reach the top of Hawks Peak so that she can make a phone call to her mom… as the name suggests short hike can be quite the short game, you can easily beat thi game in less than an hr and a half.. but a short hike isn’t about beating it, its about experiencing its world… A    A Short Hike
    Short But sweet
    A Short Hike is a tiny adventure game where you play as Clair, a bird that sets out to reach the top of Hawks Peak so that she can make a phone call to her mom… as the name suggests short hike can be quite the short game, you can easily beat thi game in less than an hr and a half.. but a short hike isn’t about beating it, its about experiencing its world…
    A short hike is so full of charm and things to do, from collecting shells, finding secrets treasures, obtaining new items..fishing.. finding lost items… all to do one thing.. obtain more golden feathers o you can climb and fly your way to the top of the mountain, and I loved every minute of it…
    hile its visuals aren’t the best, they will grow on you… If youre into adventure games, where the goal is to just explore and take in the view, I highly recommend a short hike
    I give A Short Hike
    a 7.5/10    … Expand
  26. NIKJOJO
    Oct 8, 2020
    9
    short, charming indie game. played it till i reached the top then put it aside, took me 1 hour. could probably squeeze another hour with more of the side stories.
    soundtrack is wonderful.
    graphics are beautiful, I preferred the smallest pixel size in the graphics setting options
  27. kalatix
    Aug 29, 2020
    10
    This game is beautiful in so many ways, and plays out its scope perfectly. Adam Robinson-Yu made a delightful little world just waiting to be explored.
  28. Alexb1096
    Aug 27, 2020
    8
    RECENSIONE (ITALIAN):
    Gioco veramente particolare, molto curato nella sua semplicità.
    I veri difetti sono davvero pochi, il resto è solo gusto. AUDIO E GRAFICA: Io non sono un fan della pixel art e quindi ero un po' scettico su quanto sarebbe potuto piacermi questo gioco (diciamocelo, la grafica è un elemento marginale ma l'estetica è piuttosto importante per apprezzare un gioco). Ho    RECENSIONE (ITALIAN):
    Gioco veramente particolare, molto curato nella sua semplicità.
    I veri difetti sono davvero pochi, il resto è solo gusto.

    AUDIO E GRAFICA:
    Io non sono un fan della pixel art e quindi ero un po' scettico su quanto sarebbe potuto piacermi questo gioco (diciamocelo, la grafica è un elemento marginale ma l'estetica è piuttosto importante per apprezzare un gioco). Ho notato però con piacere che è possibile "ridurre i pixel" del gioco per renderlo più smussato e meno retro.
    Grafica quindi veramente minimale ma curata, con paesaggi molto colorati e un'ambientazione dettagliata e complessa.

    Anche la colonna sonora al limite tra il rilassante e il bambinesco, unita a dialoghi molto informali e ironici, crea un'atmosfera davvero particolare che ricorda quella dei vari Animal Crossing (grazie anche agli animali antropomorfi). Non è presente doppiaggio ma i testi, nonostante siano solo in inglese, sono pochi e molto semplici.

    GAMEPLAY:
    Tutto è molto semplificato, è possibile muoversi, saltare e planare. Successivamente sarà possibile utilizzare oggetti, fare salti multipli e scalare.
    L'isola in cui è ambientato il gioco è molto complessa, con molti personaggi e oggetti sparsi, vari segreti e missioni.
    La velocità di movimento della protagonista è perfettamente calibrata (a volte mi dimenticavo persino di correre), così come i salti non sono mai molto rischiosi, anche grazie all'assenza di ogni tipo di danno.

    STORIA:
    La storia base è veramente simpatica, in quanto ci troveremo su un'isola in vacanza dove però l'unico punto in cui prende il telefono è la cima del monte. Da qui nasce appunto l'obiettivo di raggiungere tale punto per effettuare una chiamata.
    Per procedere avremo bisogno di "piume d'oro", ognuna delle quali permette un salto aggiuntivo in aria. Il gioco ha quindi alcune caratteristiche vagamente da metroidvania.

    Il difetto principale del gioco secondo me è che la missione principale può essere completata in meno di un'ora, ma ci sono missioni secondarie, giochi, segreti e oggetti che possono essere ignorati completamente.

    Ogni personaggio potenzialmente potrebbe darci una missione ma allo stesso tempo non c'è un menù in cui queste sono raccolte e non è presente una mappa (che in un'ambientazione così complessa potrebbe essere davvero utile).

    Una volta completata la missione principale si può esplorare liberamente l'isola, però gli obiettivi secondari ormai sanno solo di sfizio da completismo, avrei preferito fossero più importanti anche prima e che magari la "main quest" necessitasse più abilità/oggetti speciali.

    In conclusione, gioco cortissimo ma piacevole, con uno stile unico. Consigliato a chiunque voglia un'esperienza rilassante ma non passiva.

    VOTO: 8/10    … Expand
  29. debleb
    Aug 21, 2020
    9
    A super cute little game!

    It's a fun little adventure to play for an evening. It controls nicely and there's quite a few things you can do, like fishing, racing, playing "beachstickball", or diving from a tall cliff and picking up loads of speed. Of course, there's the main story too, where you trek up to the top of Hawk Peak, the island's highest point, to get reception for a call    A super cute little game!

    It's a fun little adventure to play for an evening. It controls nicely and there's quite a few things you can do, like fishing, racing, playing "beachstickball", or diving from a tall cliff and picking up loads of speed. Of course, there's the main story too, where you trek up to the top of Hawk Peak, the island's highest point, to get reception for a call you've been expecting.

    The graphics, music, simple animal characters and dialogue give it the feel of a Nintendo DS game from your childhood and it's incredibly charming. The island is fun to explore and will keep you busy for a few hours exploring the world and finding new characters and locations.

    My only issues are that the game is pretty short (though, i suppose that's to be expected from a game called "a short hike"!), and camera angle changes while flying can screw up your momentum. However, it's still a great game filled with charm and a great experience. Anyone who likes low-stakes exploration games will surely enjoy this title.    … Expand
  30. 4y4
    Aug 17, 2020
    9
    A very pleasant and calming game. These kind of games are often underrated in my opinion.
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Awards & Rankings

48
#48 Best PC Game of 2019
58
#58 Most Discussed PC Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. Multiplayer.it
    Dec 2, 2021
    85
    A Short Hike is a game loyal to its title. The condensed adventure may not be capable of delivering an ever engaging main narration, but its strenght resides in the world that polyhedric Adam Robinson-Yu and composer Mark Sparling managed to build in such a charming way.
    Read full review
  2. Shacknews
    Nov 25, 2021
    90
    A Short Hike is a delightful journey through a vibrant park, bolstered by some fascinating characters and impressive writing. The gameplay is well-rounded, with abilities that are fun to use and a consistent progression. Despite a nitpick or two, there’s hardly anything to knock about Adamgryu’s latest outing.
    Read full review
  3. PC Games
    Nov 19, 2021
    90
    Short, charming, sweet as pie and overall, just an absolutely wholesome experience: A Short Hike may not bring with it big set pieces, a complex story or a whole lot of gameplay systems. But it has more heart than a lot of other games combined, which makes it something truly special.
    Read full review
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