I was thrilled to finally pick up another indie title this year and A Short Hike has been a long time coming. Not only has it been out for a while but I also picked up the collector’s edition from Super Rare Games a while back. With a backlog like mine, I wasn’t sure when I’d get to it. I am happy to say that the time is now.
Claire the Navy-Blue Bird
In A Short Hike, you play as Claire. Her only objective in the game is to climb to the top of Hawk Peak where she can finally find cell phone reception. She had never done this before but her aunt encourages her to do so. With that, she sets off on her grand adventure.
The game lets you decide what to do from here. While you can almost immediately head for Hawk Peak, you might find yourself tempted to spend time with some of the other island dwellers. Claire is an open-minded individual willing to listen to their problems and even offer some assistance from time to time. That is the main way you’ll find this game’s version of side quests.
Throughout her journey, Claire gets to know her aunt’s neighbors in a way she hadn’t before.They all seem to know her but because she’s in a younger generation, she hadn’t taken the time to get to know them. As she does though, she begins to see the beauty in this island and all the people living on it. It was such a unique and wholesome thing to experience as the player.
A Blending of Genres
A Short Hike blends a lot of gameplay elements together to make for a perfect cozy game. First and foremost this is an exploration game. There is no map, no objective markers, just your intuition. Talk to everyone, get a lay of the land and never stop experimenting with things. The island here may be smaller than most open-world games but there are secrets around every corner.
This game also has a bit of a 3D platformer feel to it. Claire can jump, glide and climb. While it isn’t full of hard platforming challenges, the higher up Hawk Peak you get, the difficulty ramps a bit. It’s important to note though this game’s strength isn’t in its difficulty but rather its overall vibe. This game is all about relaxing for a night in and seeing Claire to the top of this mountain. Enjoy the climb.
As I mentioned above, some of the villagers here will offer you side quests. Complete them for money or items you can use to better interact with the environment. Every quest felt unique and never fell into the ‘fetch quest’ category. Instead, each quest left meaningful impressions on both me and Claire.
Prepare for the Hike
While you can mostly head for the peak, there are a few things you’ll want to do before heading up the mountain. Now, I tend to play games with more of a completionist mindset, but not everyone games that way. However, there are a few things you can do to make the climb easier.
Claire can use golden feathers to extend her climbing time or flap her wings while gliding to gain height. These golden feathers are displayed at the bottom of the screen and will replenish when Claire touches solid ground. You can find them scattered around the island, buy them from certain villagers or receive them as quest rewards. You’ll want to collect some to make the journey that much easier.
On top of golden feathers there are silver feathers as well. These will increase Claire’s movement speed allowing you to use less golden feathers. They will also increase the height Claire gains when she flaps her wings. This will help ensure that each golden feather is being used to its fullest capability and will see you reach the top that much easier.
The Top At Last
When you feel ready to make your way to Hawk Peak, go for it! Again there are no rules here. If you do find it difficult or want to prepare more you can just glide down and resume exploration. This game is all about being as stress-free as possible. While the climb is absolutely worth your time, this game has a lot to offer elsewhere as well.
While I won’t spoil what happens at the top, I will say it was one of my favorite scenes in a video game. I absolutely adored every second I spent with Claire and the top of Hawk Peak was no exception. It made everything I did worth it and it came together so beautifully. I can’t recommend this game enough and in a year full of AAA games and RPGs this was a breath of fresh air.
