A Short Hike

A quest to find phone signal leads to a glorious game of exploration and reconnection.

A Short Hike is a tightly-crafted, charming, and heart-warming game that comes in a bite-sized package for a delightfully low price.

With gentle, idyllic charm, A Short Hike is a delightful vignette about the joys of hiking and meeting new friends.

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.

Being a professional game reviewer, you have to play a ton of games, and not all of them are winners. For many of them, you have a pretty good idea of what you’re getting yourself into when you decide to start playing. There are some that you’ll have high expectations for, only to be let down drastically. Most of the time it’s about navigating through a sea of mediocrity in order to find something interesting. Something that stands out from the rest in oversaturated genres. Then, every ...

If you enjoy casual adventuring and games that you can take at your own pace, A Short Hike is not to be missed. It may be short in name and in nature, but every moment you spend with it will warm your soul. Don’t rush to the finish line – enjoy the journey and make the most of what you discover along the way. It’s a life lesson we should all take to heart.

As whimsical and relaxing lo-res indie adventure games go, A Short Hike is up there with the best. It draws you in with its freewheeling 'go where you like' vibe, charms you with some beautiful artwork and music and offers up great pleasures in exploration as you stroll, climb and glide around the small mountainous island. You'll only be there for a few hours, but every moment is a chilled out pleasure.

The charming visuals are probably the most notable thing about the whole experience. They remind me of a DS game, even if that wasn’t the intention. They’re low poly and low resolution. Having grown up with those games, these graphics are extremely nostalgic to me and it’s nice to see what I can only assume to be a tribute to that era. Despite the purposefully ‘dated’ graphics, the game has a lovely aesthetic paired with beautiful scenery and a particularly pleasing autumnal palette.

Need a break from the intense action of mainstream gaming? Then bask in the beauty of nature as you travel to the top of Hawk Peak Trail in A Short Hike! Enjoy hiking, soaring, and climbing through the wondrous land in this indie adventure game. Who knows what places you’ll discover and treasures you’ll find?

A Short Hike is a wonderfully chill little game that can easily be finished in the space of an afternoon, combining clever traversal mechanics with a lo-fi visual style and a very relatable protagonist. If you’ve got a couple of hours to kill over a weekend, or after a stressful day of work, A Short Hike is an easy recommendation.

A Short Hike is far from perfect, but it absolutely is unique and worth your time. It’s also super fucking rad, and I love it. Warts and all. If you’re looking for something different, and you don’t mind the price of admission, I think this is more than worth the price of entry. It may not be perfect, but life never is, and that’s fine and beautiful in its own way.