A Short Hike is anything but a short hike. It’s a game full of places to explore and a relaxing ambiance that you just want to get lost in its world.
A Short Hike is an indie game that was initially released as a Humble Original for April 2019 and is now making its way to the PlayStation console. The story revolves around a bird named Claire who makes her way to Hawk Peak to get a reception signal. What was supposed to be a short hike became a journey of self-discovery, building friendships and discovering the wondrous beauty of the island she was exploring.
Along her journey to Hawk Peak she picks up several items that she gets to use to aid her on her way to Hawk Peak. One of the most important that she gets to find is the Golden Feather. The Golden Feather allows her to do several improvements to her movement. The Golden Feather allows her to do an extra jump and the more Golden Feathers you have the the more she can jump multiple times. It also allows her to climb walls. And the more Golden Feathers you have the higher you can climb. You will also get to find running shoes that will allow you to run faster at the expense of a Golden Feather.
Another item that will be very useful in her journey is the Shovel. The Shovel allows her to dig up holes in the island. There are specific holes that will be indicated in the map like a star hole. Digging these will most likely earn you coins. There are also treasure maps that you can pick up that will point you to hidden treasure chests. Treasure Chests that can be visible once you dig it up. You don’t really need to get a Treasure Map to dig the Treasure Chests but it does help pinpoint the exact location. One of my very first hidden Treasure Chest was discovered without a Treasure Map or at least I think I didn’t have the map for it.
You see, the Treasure Map has a riddle for you to solve. Solving the riddle will take you to a specific location that if you dig there, a Treasure Chest will show up. Speaking of Treasure Chests, these chests area also scattered visibly on the map. They would normally contain coins but some of them may contain Golden Feathers.
The coins can be used to purchase items from a store or from other NPCs in the game. You can purchase a certain number of Golden Feathers but there are other items too that you can buy like the Ranger Hat. Finding coins in the world will be the most likely thing that you will spend most of your time doing in this game. Which I don’t really mind because the world is just big and there’s just so many things to see and do. It further confirms that going to Hawk Peak is not a short hike.
The NPCs that you meet in this game are actually very interesting. They are also very eager and open to talk to you which I really like. It makes the game more interactive, and it’s really fun hearing about their stories and why they are on the island. Or what they are trying to do. You can talk to any NPC that you can meet along the way. Each of them will have their own stories and some might even give you quests to do.
For a game that is mostly pixel art, this game is actually really beautiful. The scenery and the environment is just so captivating and at times relaxing to look at. The background music also complements the environment. Making for a wonderful immersive and relaxing game experience. And you would probably find yourself just getting lost in the world and spend hours and hours on end exploring it. The colors of the world are so vibrant and inviting but it can also be gloomy and sad depending on the weather. It just has its own unique charm.
The controls are actually very straightforward and it will even provide you a hint on what button to use . My only concern would be the camera controls. There are places in the game where you have free reign in controlling the camera but then there are places that forces you to work with a fixated camera. It doesn’t help that in these fixated camera areas is in places that you don’t even have a clear view of your character. I hope they would polish this in future updates on the game.
I can also say that for the price of $7.99, it’s actually very worth having it. It can deliver endless hours of entertainment depending on what you are really after in this game. The exploration just really makes up for it and the things that you discover in the game is just something to be delighted for.
Overall, A Short Hike is a beautiful exploration game. It’s vibrant world filled with beauty that you just can’t help but take a detour for. Forget about going to Hawk Peak and just enjoy the beauty of nature. Despite the camera issues, it shouldn’t take way from you enjoying the game. If you’re looking for a little relaxing game to de-stress, then A Short Hike is something that you should really consider playing.