| A Short Hike | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Designer(s) | Adam Robinson-Yu |
| Programmer(s) | Adam Robinson-Yu |
| Artist(s) |
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| Composer(s) | Mark Sparling |
| Engine | Unity |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Adventure,cozy |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
A Short Hike is a 2019adventure video game by Canadianindie game designer Adam Robinson-Yu, also known as adamgryu. It is anopen world exploration game in which the player is tasked with reaching the summit of a mountain to get cell phone reception. The game was released forMicrosoft Windows,macOS, andLinux in July 2019, forNintendo Switch in August 2020, and forPlayStation 4 andXbox One in November 2021.
A Short Hike received positive reviews from critics who widely praised its relaxing gameplay, freedom of exploration, and flying mechanics, though some criticized the short length and the handling of some story elements. It won theSeumas McNally Grand Prize at the 2020Independent Games Festival.
The player has the ability to run, climb, swim, and glide through an open-world park while controlling Claire, a blackanthropomorphic bird.[1] To reach Hawk Peak, they must find or purchase golden feathers, which afford extra stamina, jumps, and the ability to scale rock faces. According to a sign on Hawk Peak Trail, the peak can be reached with as few as seven golden feathers, though the player may collect up to 20.[2] Once the player reaches the peak, thus completing the main story, they are free to explore the park and complete other quests as they please.[3]
In addition to the main trail, the island is populated with other animals, who offer sidequests and activities including fishing, finding lost items, and a volleyball-likemini-game called "beachstickball." Rewards for these activities include running shoes and a compass, which improve the player's ability to navigate the park, as well as a couple of golden feathers. The player can also collect shells, sticks, coins, and other items to help complete sidequests.
The game has anadaptive soundtrack that changes based on world events and player actions.[1] It also features a dynamic camera created with theUnity tool Cinemachine.[4]: 11:25–11:40
Theprotagonist andplayer character is Claire, a young bird who spends her days off by traveling to Hawk Peak Provincial Park, where her Aunt May works as aranger.[5][6]
In an openingcutscene, Claire's mother drives her to a ferry that will take her to the park for the summer. When Claire arrives, her aunt informs her that there's no cell phone reception in the park except for at Hawk Peak. Claire has never hiked the Hawk Peak Trail before, but is expecting an important call, so she decides to hike to the summit.[1] It is then up to the player whether Claire helps the other animals on the island or heads straight for Hawk Peak. A sign at the mountain's base warns it is a strenuous hike and other characters remark that the trail is too difficult for them.
When Claire reaches the peak, she congratulates herself for making it and stands in view of anaurora. Soon her cell phone rings, revealing that the caller is her mother. She acknowledges that she had a surgery after sending Claire away. Claire is upset she wasn't there for her, but Claire's mother says she is proud of Claire for climbing Hawk Peak. The call is interrupted when anupdraft emerges from the mountain. It makes Claire nervous, but her mother urges her to ride it before it disappears. Claire rides the updraft, soaring over the park.
Claire can then return to her aunt, whereupon she explains to her all of the side activities she did on her hike. Afterwards, she finally goes to sleep.
In December 2018, Robinson-Yu took a break from developing his other projectUntitled Paper RPG and started work onA Short Hike. Playing the gamesThe Haunted Island, a Frog Detective Game andMinit convinced him that short games can be successful, too.[4]: 3:00–4:12 He later shared a prototype ofA Short Hike onTwitter.[7] Rendering the game's world using "big crunchy pixels" and simple models allowed Robinson-Yu to expand the scope of the game in spite of his limited art skills. The color palette for the game is sampled directly from photos of theCanadian Shield in autumn.[4]: 5:03–6:26
Composer Mark Sparling created an adaptive soundtrack system that combines layers of melodies and ambient music depending on where the player is and how they are traversing the terrain.[8]: 3:17–3:27 Sparling cited as influences theStudio Ghibli composerJoe Hisaishi, the soundtracks forAnimal Crossing: New Leaf andFirewatch, theSufjan Stevens folk albumCarrie & Lowell, and theSteve Reich minimalist albumMusic for 18 Musicians.[8]: 1:02–2:29, 4:06
After receiving funding via theHumble Original program, Robinson-Yu committed to releasing the game in three months. He tracked his progress using a simplified version of thescrum framework and used existing Unity tools such as InControl and Cinemachine, as well as assets from previous projects.[4]: 9:01–12:06 To further speed up the release, he prioritized adding content over fixing smallbugs.[4]: 13:39–14:06
The game was first released for subscribers of theHumble Monthly program on April 5, 2019, and later as a standalone game for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux on July 30, 2019. A version for Nintendo Switch was released on August 18, 2020.[6] Versions forPlayStation 4 andXbox One were released on November 16, 2021.[9] On August 19, 2022, the game was announced to be getting a limited physical release and collector's edition for Nintendo Switch viaSuper Rare Games to be released on August 25, 2022.[10]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Adventure Gamers | 4.5/5[1] |
| Destructoid | 7.5/10[14] |
| GameSpot | 9/10[15] |
| Nintendo Life | 10/10[16] |
| GameCentral | 8/10[17] |
A Short Hike received "generally favorable reviews" according to thereview aggregator websiteMetacritic, receiving aggregate scores of 82/100 for the PC version,[11] 88/100 for the Switch version,[12] and 83/100 for the PlayStation 4 version.[13] Reviewers praised the peacefulness and replay value of the setting, as well as the open-ended gameplay, with several critics comparing the game's open world toThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.[5][3][16][17]
Reviewing the game forNintendo Life, Stuart Gipp awardedA Short Hike a 10/10, calling it "a trulycomplete game" and "a milestone in indie games" for its freedom of gameplay and what he felt was "a fat-free experience."[16] Cathlyn Vania ofAdventure Gamers rated the game 4.5/5 stars, calling it a "relaxing adventure filled with not only humor but the tenderness of personal connections."[1] Matthew Reynolds ofEurogamer namedA Short Hike one of his Games of the Year, stating that the density of the island resulted in "an adventure far richer than games many times of [sic] its length."[2] Khee Hoon Chan ofGameSpot similarly praised the game for its controls, free-roaming gameplay, and overall "comforting, even pastoral allure", awarding it a 9/10.[15]
Kevin Mersereau ofDestructoid rated the game a 7.5/10. He called it a "palate-cleanser" that is "relaxed" and "unique," but "far from perfect." He praised the game's flying mechanics, but criticized its short length and "anvil-dropped" plot elements.[14]GameCentral's review similarly critiqued the game's length and climax, but awarded the game an 8/10, calling it "utterly charming and perfectly paced."[17]The Washington Post critic Christopher Byrd described the game as "built to foster a spirit of comfort rather than risk," criticizing the easiness of player tasks while still recommending the game as "an achievement."[5]
| Year | Award | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2019 Golden Joystick Awards | Best Indie Game | Nominated | [18] |
| 2020 | 23rd Annual D.I.C.E. Awards | Family Game of the Year | Nominated | [19] |
| Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game | Nominated | |||
| Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction | Nominated | |||
| Independent Games Festival Awards | Seumas McNally Grand Prize | Won | [20][21] | |
| Excellence in Design | Nominated | |||
| Audience Award | Won |
