A Short Hike | Review Thread

[Deleted member 10737]

i know the game came out for PC last year, but the recently released switch port has been getting some really high praise from critics, thought i'd make a thread to highlight them.

Metacritic (88)
OpenCritic (88)


GoNintendo (no score, video):

A Short Hike is a wonderful adventure that never overstays its welcome. The world is filled with intrigue, and the ending helps paint a picture of what will happen when you move on. The calming atmosphere ensured that I stayed glued to my screen, and never wanted to step away. There's a lot of beauty in how A Short Hike let's you explore the game as you see fit. No matter what personal goals you give yourself, the final destination is an experience you won't soon forget.

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Nintendo Life (10/10):

A Short Hike is a fat-free experience from top to bottom – or should we say bottom to top? It's the kind of game that makes us just sigh with happiness when we recall our time with it, and even having played it through to its ostensible conclusion multiple times, we know for a fact there are still things to see and do on that mountain. What we have here is something of an apotheosis – a milestone in indie games akin to Cave Story, or Spelunky. The very best bits of multiple game genres, stripped of all padding and bloat, mixed perfectly into a delicious video game stew that only gets richer and richer the more you play. An exploration in every sense of the word, A Short Hike is cute without being twee, challenging without being obnoxious, and emotional without being cloying. A landmark game for all ages. Don't miss this one.

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Nintendo World Report (9.5/10, video):

A Short Hike is a game I can recommend to anyone without hesitation. It's perfect for new players, looking to play something for a short while, but also respects experienced players by giving them the freedom to play the game however they choose. The charm the game brings to the table is reason enough for me to return time and time again to this world. It's a feel-good zenlike game and I'm so incredibly happy that I can now return to this world at any time on the Switch. Finally it is only A Short Hike away.

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GameGrin (9.5/10):

Honestly, I cannot recommend A Short Hike enough. It's a breath of fresh air in a game industry that's oversaturated with 40-hour, open-world epics and battle royales. It surpassed my expectations in every way, nailing nearly every aspect of its execution in a way that makes me fall in love with indie games all over again. Some may complain that it ends too soon, but I was personally fulfilled with the game exactly how it is.

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GameSpot (9/10):

Many games often aspire to deliver more, sometimes bartering in dizzying excesses--be it in high-octane action or through big, sweeping narratives that thrust you into a heroic position. But it's the diminutive tales and everyday experiences of A Short Hike that give the game its comforting, even pastoral allure. It's about seeking quiet communion with nature even as you make your umpteenth hike towards the peak, or finding contentment in stumbling upon tinier, quaint scenes. It proposes that even the smallest and most mundane of vignettes can be as enthralling as grandiose universes and narratives of more ambitious games. As I embark on yet another leisurely trek after ascending the summit of Hawk Peak, I can't help but heartily agree.

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Pure Nintendo (9/10):

A Short Hike is a game the whole family can love. It's an homage to classics while still very much it's own release. There is much to explore, fun characters to interact with, and the entirety of the title just had me smiling. Carve out a couple of hours in your day, curl up with some 'Strawberries and Toast,' and give A Short Hike a play. You won't regret it.

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Everyeye.it (9/10, review in Italian):

A Short Hike is a delightful experience: simple, contained, collected in ambitions, yet so full of character and emotion.

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Bonus Stage (9/10):

If there's one word that this game can be described as is 'charming', the game is a masterful indie title and I enjoyed almost every second of it. With its price and short playtime, if you see the trailer or this review and say to yourself "hmm that looks alright" then jump on it, A Short Hike is an indie at its best.

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Metro GameCentral (8/10):

An utterly charming and perfectly paced mini-adventure that packs in more character, emotion, and sense of wonder than most 30 hour epics.

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Nintenderos (8/10, review in Spanish):

A Short Hike is a very short and beautiful experience, offering highly polished mechanics that perfectly mimic the friendlier side of Breath of the Wild.

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Meristation (8/10, review in Spanish):

A Short Hike is a Little treasure. Simple, but simple enough to make you feel alive and fresh while flying or discovering new things in this far away island where everything makes sense. You learn new things, abilities and mechanics during the experience, and the result is just beautiful and delightful. Too short, but an unforgettable journey.

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[Mbolibombo]

That's some high review scores.. have it on my list once I end my immediate backlog.

 

[EliR]

Rather play A Short Hike twenty times than do a playthrough God of War PS4 again.

 

[Khanimus]

Glad the game has been received so well

 

[Persephone]

the game is amazing!! i highly recommend picking it up <3

 

[Nabs]

I'd play A Long Hike if possible.

 

[DCBA]

Already the 3rd post wants to derail the thread, Era these days...
Btt: great scores, great year for indies in general this year.

 

[DrWong]

Yes I agree with all the praises. I still have a last few things to complete/find in the game and I'm taking my time to extend the pleasure. Wonderful game. I can't stop hyping it to my Switch friends ^^

 

[Bushido]

Yup, it's a short hike, but a sweet one, love pretty much everything about it. Wouldn't mind A Long Hike as a sequel.

 

[Ephonk]

Loved my (short) time with it.

They should make this into a longer, multiple day game where each day has different things to do and fleshes out the characters.

 

[DrWong]

I take an expansion before the "A Long Hike" sequel: Two Short Hikes : D

 

[ryushe]

Finished it this weekend.

An incredible, charming experience. Up there with the Hollow Knights, Into the Breach's, etc., as an indie masterpiece.

 

[JustJavi]

Amazing game, everyone should experience it.

 

[fourfourfun]

I've really been enjoying games like this. I like that I can pick it up, experience it, complete it and feel satisfied, never having to take an intake of breath to put myself in a "better play this game" mode that I get with weightier titles. I like just ambling about in the game, plus the kids love it too.

 

[Gush]

such a delightful and overwhelmingly pleasant game. one of the best from last year.

 

[thomasmahler]

I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this game and everyone should try it! It's like 5$ and it's one of the most charming experiences I had in some time. I even got my girlfriend to play through the entire thing and she usually doesn't play games and she enjoyed it just as much as I did. Everyone should give this one a try, it'll make you happy :)

 

[JustJavi]

That's some high review scores.. have it on my list once I end my immediate backlog.

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Play it now in between games, you will love it.

 

[TheBiInBilingual]

Played 2 hours of this yesterday evening, love every second so far. What pixel quality have y'all been playing on? I'm on the sharpest.

 

[Messofanego]

It's an excellent game and story about friendship, the problems of nostalgia, and relationships with parents. Everyone should play it.

 

[Machine Law]

I got it on the Epic Games Store somehow and decided to play it last week. I completed the game in one seating and was delighted by it. What a wonderful experience.

 

[K Samedi]

Played it for two hours, loved it and I'm pretty much done for now. I do expect to install it again to do another playthrough. It's one of those games that you can play very often.

 

[Chivalry]

It's a decent time-waster.

 

[Xagarath]

One of the best games of both last or this year. Really pleased to see more people discovering it.

 

[Deleted member 51789]

Great little game, may well be one of my favourite titles of the generation.

 

[Łazy]

Metro GameCentral :
An utterly charming and perfectly paced mini-adventure that packs in more character, emotion, and sense of wonder than most 30 hour epics.

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Procede with giving a lower (or similar) score than those supposedly less deep games.
8/10

Sure...

 

[Deleted member 10737]

just got it on switch
already owned it on EGS but i have to be honest with myself, i'm not gonna ever download a game from there

 

[Khanimus]

A Short Hike 2: Off the Beaten Path

That one's for free.

 

[Nocturnowl]

Loving these glowing reviews, i think this game hits exactly what I personally want to see out of something that's akin to the walking sim sub genre, it's got that extra layer of things to do and inherent gamey-ness whilst also offering that relaxed experience.

Also the gliding feels tops.

 

[FreddeGredde]

It's the kind of game reviewers like because it's over so quickly.

And it's a really charming game with alright controls and great concept. It just feels so very unfinished when it's over before it barely got started, like a proof-of-concept rather than a full game. Hopefully a sequel can be much more fleshed out.

 

[M4n]

Great game. Mark Sparkling did an amazing job with the OST btw:

 

[Deleted member 51789]

It's the kind of game reviewers like because it's over so quickly.

And it's a really charming game with alright controls and great concept. It just feels so very unfinished when it's over before it barely got started, like a proof-of-concept rather than a full game. Hopefully a sequel can be much more fleshed out.

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I think implying the positive reviews down to 'they only liked it because it was short' does the game a disservice. There's still a good amount of exploring you can do on your own but it's a game that knows when to finish before any tedium has a chance to set in.

 

[MatrixMan.exe]

You love to see it.

 

[FrakEarth]

One of my friends tweeted about how much he loved it this morning, and then I saw this thread... so...

Just want to also say - I've really been enjoying my time with Manifold Garden. If you like first person puzzlers, its unique among them and quite satisfying when you figure things out. No hand-holding or overt tutorials whatsoever.

 

[Marin-Lune]

Such a wonderful little game. I've found myself launching the game every now and then just to fly and glide around, so satisfying!

 

[Neiteio]

Tempted

 

[Deleted member 37917]

In my switch top 5 easily, and one of the best value for money. It was just the perfect length in my opinion.

 

[Pineconn]

It's a good port — I don't think I noticed a single dropped frame during my play through on Switch.

 

[emmastone]

Fantastic, relaxing game. Absolutely worth the time and money.

 

[StraySheep]

One of my friends tweeted about how much he loved it this morning, and then I saw this thread... so...

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I had been planning on it for sure but this thread was also my final reminder to buy it. Downloading now.

 

[Newbong]

This is an amazing game.

 

[Wesen]

How short is a short hike? Are we talking about 30 minutes, 2 hours or 5 hours?

 

[Deleted member 10737]

How short is a short hike? Are we talking about 30 minutes, 2 hours or 5 hours?

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[CannonFodder52]

Yeah it's a very good experience. Glad to hear the port is solid.

 

[Csr]

It's a great game, there was no padding which i appreciate a lot.

 

[Alex840]

It's a good port — I don't think I noticed a single dropped frame during my play through on Switch.

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60fps? Also do you know if you can turn down the pixelation effect like in the PC version?

 

[DrWong]

60fps? Also do you know if you can turn down the pixelation effect like in the PC version?

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Yes you can, there're 4 presettings.

 

[Karakato]

A fully wholesome experience, check it out if you are looking for a short and sweet game that you'd love to get lost in. My only small nitpick for the switch port was that maybe hd rumble would have added extra oomph to certain areas like the fishing minigame or feeling the updraft of the winds carry you as you glide over it. That said, it's just surface level fluff that doesnt really take away from the whole experience.

 

[Jokerman]

Is there any hope of a port of this for other consoles? Actually I wonder if it might run ok on my MacBook Air.

 

[Rover_]

amazing game all around. love it.

 

[Deleted member 3040]

An absolute delightful game to spend an evening with. Hope it reaches a wider audience now.

Is there any hope of a port of this for other consoles? Actually I wonder if it might run ok on my MacBook Air.

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I ran it on a laptop with integrated graphics, so maybe you'll be fine.