A Short Hike
Hike, climb, and soar through the peaceful mountainside landscapes of Hawk Peak Provincial Park. Follow the marked trails or explore the backcountry as you make your way to the summit. Along the way, meet other hikers, discover hidden treasures, and take in the world around you. Explore the island any way you like. Choose your own path to follow and see where it leads you. You never know what you might stumble into! Hike at your own pace — there’s no need to rush to the summit! Take your time fishing along the river banks or swimming by the lakeshore. Collect hidden treasures to reach new heights. Try taking a dive off the mountain peaks to soar above the forests. Chat with the other hikers you meet along your route. You might be able to help each other out! Listen to a lush original soundtrack by Mark Sparling that progresses dynamically as you explore the wilderness.
Steam User 65
Feeling stressed?
Need to get your mind off things?
Had a long day of work?
Feeling sad?
This is your cure!
Steam User 63
Such a sweet and short game, this was my first ever game that i bought with my own money, it was so worth it. If you are unsure whether or not to buy it, do it. You wont regret it.
I would have loved it to be much longer but i have to admit, it was perfect in every way. I love how you can change the pixel sizes, so if you dont like the pixels you can just minimize them or turn them off completely. Take your time, theres no need to rush this game ^^
Steam User 53
This game is a hug for your soul.
Steam User 54
good for people who like the outdoors or animal crossing or those who have long standing issues with their parents
Steam User 72
this game would taste like peaches if it were edible
Steam User 76
We live in a privileged society that takes joys like this for granted.
This game has huge "the relaxing DS game your relative got you for Christmas" vibes.
After a few rounds of getting absolutely railed in Escape from Tarkov and having zero fun, I ate a wee little edible and found A Short Hike on Steam. The game left a smile on my face for sure. Really hit the spot, relaxing yet engaging little open world adventure.
I love this game and wish there were more bite-sized complete gaming experiences like it. As an adult with very little spare time, this is the perfect kind of game for me. It does what it sets out to achieve, does it well, and then finishes, rather than draw it out or pad the time with garbage. Honestly I would’ve actually preferred “A Long Hike”, because the game was quite fantastic for what it was aiming for.
A Short Hike is a storytelling game, but one that has actual gameplay and goals. You are a young bird girl on vacation in a park. Ostensibly, your goal is to reach the top of the mountain so you can get cell phone service. But it's easy (and indeed necessary) to get distracted along the way. You meet a ton of new friends, you can spend hours fishing or digging random holes (and following a couple treasure maps to legit buried treasure), and there are hidden objects and races to complete. And hats. You can unlock several hats.
What the game really nails down is the feeling of childhood and relaxing on vacation. You might be resistant to spending your time outdoors, but once there, you discover lots of interesting things to do. One of the best moments is when you get the fishing pole and a tutorial, which plays out similar to a real fishing lesson. It's a very idyllic moment, and the game is full of them.
Under the set dressing, there is still real gameplay there. You can race another bird across the island. If you like in-game fishing, there's a ton of it here. The "main quest," climbing to the top of the mountain, will require you to find several golden feathers hidden on the island. Once you get them, it still requires platforming skill to make it to the top. It's not a terribly challenging game, but for those who find straight up walking simulators boring, there's a solid line of gameplay keeping you engaged while you play it.
This game nails exploration and feeling huge better than any game of its size I've ever played. I didn't expect the Golden Feathers to facilitate travel around the island as much as they did, and it made seeing how all of the island's features are connected all the more surprising. They essentially made an open-world sandbox game (complete with races, treasure hunts, and a fishing minigame) in an area 1/5th the size Ubisoft uses for their tutorials.
The game reminded me of point-and-click adventures from the mid-90s. Everywhere you go, everything you do, there's a custom-made world waiting for you with adventures and goofiness. Definitely cute, quaint and quirky. I was blown away by its visuals and story I really felt like some of these characters really cared about me and wanted me to get to the top of the mountain hike.
A Short Hike does the thing that so many games aspire to do, it puts you in the shoes of another person and lets you live their life for a bit. It's a great game and you should check it out.
10/10
Steam User 35
Sometimes all you need to wind down is to play a game where all you do is muck around on an island playing with kids, fishing, sailing in a motorboat, collecting shells, digging up lost treasures, climbing a mountain top, freezing your tailfeathers, and dropping down from the mountain with no damage whatsoever.