A Short Hike is a bit of a strange little miracle for me. For a start, it sells exactly what the title advertises — a short hike. You are a fun bird person, a young adult it seems and your auntie, a ranger in the park, took you out to Hawk Peak. Why? Because it’s a family tradition of sorts. Because it’s summer. Because life at home turned a little bit too stressful. And it turns out, you do have a mission, a goal as simple and down-to-earth as it can be — you are waiting for a call but blast the cursed beautiful nature, it offers no reception!
But hey. You will catch some at the mount peak — what a delightful coincidence. And so, you strike out from your abode on your not-so-epic quest, and from the very start, you’re smitten by a collection of positive stimuli. First, the colors and style. It’s warm. It is pleasant. The little lines of wind and gusts rustle through the trees, the waters ripple and splash. Mix of the warm brown with plenty of greens of that rich late summertime.
Second, the sounds. It’s chill at its best — at first, you welcome no music, but the gentle ambient of the tamed wilderness, the creaking of trees, and the soft song of the wind. But then, as you move around, as you explore, the music commences, matching the area you’re exploring with unobtrusive tenacity. It’s beautiful, and I must commend Mark Sparling — the musician of the project — for astonishing work. The tunes are heart-warming, relaxing, rich in that fireside guitar vibe, and yet not led by it. And then you soar through the sky, and when the melodic theme remains the same, the instruments change into something softer, prolonged, and gustier. Like a Hollywood imaginary of a French coastal town waking up to sunshine.
Excuse me for waxing lyrical, but the music is one of the powerhouse pillars of this game, for it puts you in such a positive vibe and such a delightful spirit. Everything else is instantly more pleasant by a touch of its power.
But what about the game itself? Surely climbing a small mountain cannot be all that engaging? Well… It is. For a couple of reasons, so let’s go through them. Movement is the key to the blissful relaxation of this game, for it is impeccable. You have such a plethora of options to move around and they all feel fluid, responsive, and easy to handle. Gliding over the forests and lakes is gratifying and the control you have is delightfully freeing. Climbing and Running follows a simple stamina mechanism that is rapidly refreshed and you can quite easily extend it to vast amounts. You rarely if ever feel limited by it, unless you try to rush through the game without embarking on any of the multitude of side activities.
And when I am on them, gosh, there is plenty! Be a master of stickball. Relax with your fishing rod and catch some rare fish for your collection. Collect shells! Dig for treasure. Find shortcuts through the tunnels in the mountain. Collect countless treasure chests to get rich. Help various colorful hikers across your exploration in their own self-contained little stories. A painter in search of the muse, fearing for her artistic career. A marathon runner with confidence issues. A ruthless scalper teen with a big financial problem. A kid with a shovel too big for their purposes. And more, more and more, each character offers you a new perspective or task that you can take on as you wish.
This is the greatest drive for me in this game — freedom. From the very beginning, your goal is simple and singular, but you have an entire island to explore at your absolute leisure. No path holds your hand and demands you follow it. There is no order in which you have to talk to the hikers nor any arbitrary quests you must fulfill before you can reach the peak for that bittersweet story titbit you’re aiming for. It’s a game you can complete in a single evening, and so I did, and yet, after reaching Hawk Peak, I still engaged with the game with delight. Finding more treasure, wrapping up some short stories of the talkative hikers, finding a secret here and there, and just basking in the warmth of it. Soaking the music, the vistas, and the sense of freedom that seeps out of every pore of this game.
It is a simple affair and a short one too. Is it worth the money it demands? I’d say yes, for sure, absolutely! It might be on the very short end of the spectrum when it comes to the time it will burn out of you, but every minute is blissful. It radiates warmth and positive vibes, lets me forget about everything that’s going on around me, and lets me enjoy the gentlest of thrills of finding a new chest, another seashell, or a new area I haven’t put my beak into yet.
If you want a pleasant evening full of summer joy and enjoy zero-stress exploration experiences, this is a game for you.
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