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I got this one way way back in 2020 in an itch.io charity bundle and i've been putting off playing it since then. I'm glad I finally played it but doing it in the autumn was a terrible idea !! this is a summer game and I should have played it when it was hot outside. I've been feeling really anxious (for really stupid reasons) recently and thought this might help and it definitely took my mind off of things for a while ! It's very peaceful and positive in every aspect possible. Definitely worth playing as a mood-booster alone.


You play as a bird trying to get to the peak of a mountain for cell phone reception but you'll quickly get extremely side-tracked along the way. I ended up playing beachstickball, riding a boat off a ramp, fishing for a really long time and doing like 3 different races. Alot of my favorite games are ones that give you a goal and then let you meander to it down whichever path you'd like at your own pace (this philosophy applies to both Gone Home AND Hitman). A Short Hike is like as close to that as you can get - the entire game is dependent on your willingness to wander around and find fun things to do. Design like this is always amazing at grounding you in the game's world and I found myself enjoying the simple act of wandering down a little path quite often. I wish there was some benches scattered around that you could sit on so I could've relaxed and listened to the music + sound design without having to just stand still. My favorite part was definitely coasting around in the boat because you can just stop, sit and fish whenever you'd like. a boat is kind of like a bench but on the water and you can drive it around if you think about it


The systems are actually pretty impressive for a game with like 3 buttons ! I never really thought of this as a platformer before playing it but there is some tricky movement sequences in there. Especially towards the end they encourage you to combine jumping, gliding and climbing together in ways i didn't expect. The last stretch is pretty hard too since they limit your movement but It encouraged me to invent my own path which ended up working. The dive off of a really high point into a glide to send you flying at 3000mph is so much fun too and i'm happy they put a spot for you to do it at the peak of the mountain


Most of the game is focused on meeting and talking with different characters and helping them with whatever they need. Sometimes its retrieving a lost headband, sometimes it's going on a boat ride with them because they're bored. Coming across them feels really natural because you never know if talking to someone is gonna start a quest or not. I wasn't even planning on using the boat but a nearby character said they were really bored and wanted to ride the boat. that ended up being my favorite part ! All the characters (and their quests) feel really unique and there wasn't any I found that I didn't end up completing. I thrashed that stupid little chicken or whatever they were in every single race too sometimes id run it back just to humiliate them again

A Short Hike is an extremely relaxing and fun experience that lets you play at your own pace. I'm sure there was more for me to do on the island but I felt like wrapping up so I headed for the peak. If I had to say anything bad about it I guess I found the layout of the island a little confusing. I could never tell where tf i was at !! I was looking for the place where the game starts and somehow ended up at a graveyard at one point. It's extremely unique and I think more games should unapologetically have sandbox elements like this. Give me a stick to hit stuff with!! my productivity is gonna skyrocket with a shovel like this

(trying a new thing on my pages with multiple screenshots. Kind of unsure on if i like it right now because of how the text lines up.. let me know what u think !! if anyone is even READING THIS! help!! help!)