A delightfully pleasant concise masterpiece
A Short Hike as the name implies is not a very long game. It's a pleasant platformer with no combat or difficult puzzles. However there is enough challenge to be more than just a walking simulator.
The tale revolves around Claire, a bird on a retreat with her aunt on an island. Claire being a city person desperately wants connection with the outside world. Her aunt tells her the only place that has cell signal is on the top of the mountain. And so, the whole point of the game is to make the short hike up the mountain.
At first, the task seems trivial, just follow the route markers up the mountain. But then the game throws several curveballs at you, such as having a series of platforms that can't be reached or changes in the weather that hinder your movement. The only way to scale the mountain is to improve your abilities by talking with the other animals along the route and listening to their requests. The requests range from playing mini-games or collecting a certain amount of items. The writing is grounded, funny and charming all at the same time. It strikes the right balance of real world talk and the typical dialogue seen in video games.
The game is free form. There is no set path and there are multiple ways to scale the mountain. You also don't need to follow through with every single request to complete the game. In a way the game feels almost like a large platforming puzzle found in the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Once Claire reaches the summit, the reveal is more significant that what is initially presented. Overall, I came away liking this game a lot. It's a concise game and doesn't overstay its welcome. A Short Hike might not be some grand epic RPG, but it delivers charm in spades and completely won me over.