A Short Hike

Climbing Hawk Peak with Claire

In A Short Hike you play Claire, a bird at Hawk Peak Provincial Park who needs phone reception, and the place to find it is the top of the mountain. So off she goes.

The route is up to you. The official listing invites you to follow the marked trails or explore the backcountry. You hike, climb and soar, and collecting hidden treasures helps you reach new heights.

Along the way you meet other hikers, campers and park visitors, many with a small favour to ask. Nobody is in a rush, and neither are you.

The mountain is small enough to explore fully but full of hidden corners, and the developer encourages you to choose your own path and see where it leads. Following a curious-looking trail is often more rewarding than heading straight for the top.

The park is full of small rewards for curiosity, from treasures tucked behind rocks to views that only open up once you climb a little higher. It feels generous rather than demanding.

The little detours that make A Short Hike restful

The developer's feature list includes fishing along the riverbanks and swimming by the lakeshore, and there are treasures hidden all over the island. You can ignore the summit entirely for a while and simply potter.

The listing says it plainly: hike at your own pace, there is no need to rush. PEGI confirms there is no violence against other characters; you can only whack objects with sticks, shovels and pickaxes.

The soundtrack by Mark Sparling changes as you explore, which gives each area its own mood. It is one of the picks in our ten-minute unwinds and after a long day playlists.

The developer suggests trying a dive off the mountain peaks to soar above the forests, which captures the game's playful, low-stakes spirit.

Chatting with other hikers is part of the fun, and the developer notes you might be able to help each other out. The characters you meet have small stories of their own, so wandering off the main path is rarely wasted time. If you are playing to wind down, it is fine to leave the summit for another night entirely.

A Short Hike on a handheld at night

A Short Hike is a compact game with chunky, low-resolution visuals, which suits a handheld console at lower brightness. That is why it also features in our no-screen-glow evenings playlist.

Because it is compact, it also works as a first game for someone new to controllers, or as a calm game to play alongside a child who calls out where to go next.

For a child, the game's short distances and friendly characters make it a good first open-world experience. An adult can read out the dialogue while the child steers, which turns it into something closer to a shared story than a test of skill.

Steam lists full controller support and recommends a gamepad, and it supports Steam Cloud saves, so a family computer works fine too.

Where A Short Hike is available

Steam lists A Short Hike for Windows, Mac and Linux, released in July 2019 by its developer, adamgryu. The PEGI database lists the Nintendo Switch release (December 2021) and PlayStation 4 release (October 2023), both PEGI 3.

It is a one-off purchase with no in-game purchases or online features.

If you enjoy its feeling of exploring a small island, Lil Gator Game has a similar open playground, though with pretend battles against cardboard cut-outs.

Because it is short and complete, it is a good choice for a single relaxed weekend afternoon, or spread over three or four weeknights.

It has no online features, no add-ons and nothing to keep up with afterwards, so it is easy to finish and set aside.