It is hard to be able to go outside with everything that is going on in the United States and so I bought a lot of games. I was browsing Steam and I saw a game that had been nominated for Independent Game Festival award and I decided to buy it. A Short Hike is a game that took me completely by surprise with its heartwarming tale of a young bird and what it means to grow up. It is a game that is soft in every aspect but hits hard at the end. This week I talk about my feelings about growing up and A Short Hike!

A Short Hike is an adventure game released at the end of July 2019. It was published and developed for PC by adamgryu and retails for a crisp 8 buckaroos.

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Plot is pretty simple: You are Claire, a bird that is on summer vacation with her Aunt May at Hawk Peak Provincial Park. Claire needs to climb to the summit of the mountain, which is the only section of the park, to obtain cell phone reception. That’s it, nothing else.

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Claire can run, jump, climb, fish and swim while on her adventure. The game has other “side” activities to do that are really just fetch quests. A guy needs a better shovel to build sand castles, but the person that has it needs money etc. A lot of the game relies on obtaining golden feathers that give you a sort of stamina meter.

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That’s the game, everyone!

A Short Hike is deceiving, the game is not short; it’s about 2 hours to fully complete it. They even make the joke about within the game. I love this game. It was fun to be able to talk to all of the inhabitants of the Hawk Peak Park; everyone is so unique. After giving the bird girl fifteen seashells, Claire asks about a prize and the girl responds with “I never promised you anything.” You meet a painter that does not believe she is good enough to make it in the big leagues. The music is SUPER catchy and it changes when you get closer to the summit of the mountain. The exploration is fun when all of the areas are unique. The graphics are different, but they look really good.

A Short Hike is a very good game that cost barely anything. It is adorable with simple mechanics, fun characters, a big, beautiful area to explore and a simple, heartwarming story.