A Short Hike Reviews

A Short Hike is ranked in the 96th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Essential
Aug 12, 2019

A quest to find phone signal leads to a glorious game of exploration and reconnection.

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Metro GameCentral
Top Critic
8 / 10
Aug 19, 2020

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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9 / 10
Sep 1, 2020

With gentle, idyllic charm, A Short Hike is a delightful vignette about the joys of hiking and meeting new friends.

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7.5 / 10.0
Jul 29, 2019

A Short Hike is far from perfect, but it absolutely is unique and worth your time. It's also super fucking rad, and I love it. Warts and all. If you're looking for something different, and you don't mind the price of admission, I think this is more than worth the price of entry. It may not be perfect, but life never is, and that's fine and beautiful in its own way.

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9 / 10
Nov 24, 2021

A Short Hike is a delightful journey through a vibrant park, bolstered by some fascinating characters and impressive writing. The gameplay is well-rounded, with abilities that are fun to use and a consistent progression. Despite a nitpick or two, there’s hardly anything to knock about Adamgryu’s latest outing.

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8.8 / 10.0
Sep 12, 2020

A small gem that tells the story of its developer and let player experience a short-yet-incredibly fascinating adventure.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8 / 10
Nov 17, 2021

Ultimately, the extra bits draped around the core experience are the real star, offering up a helping of charm and wit that help sell the title as a cosy little experience worth your time, even if you might not have much cause to return to it once you’re done.

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8 / 10.0
Nov 18, 2021

As whimsical and relaxing lo-res indie adventure games go, A Short Hike is up there with the best. It draws you in with its freewheeling 'go where you like' vibe, charms you with some beautiful artwork and music and offers up great pleasures in exploration as you stroll, climb and glide around the small mountainous island. You'll only be there for a few hours, but every moment is a chilled out pleasure.

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10 / 10
Aug 29, 2020

A landmark game for all ages. Don't miss this one.

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Unscored
Jan 21, 2020

Twee as it is, it’s an achievement that shows how a familiar video game form can be made into something more quiet and unhurried than one might be used to; personally, I’m all for that.

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9 / 10.0
Aug 29, 2020

A Short Hike is a delightful experience: simple, contained, collected in ambition, yet so rich in character and emotion. Thanks to a very valuable artistic direction, a level soundtrack, brilliant controls and remarkable writing, Adam Robinson-Yu's small great experiment proves to be a bon-bon of gameplay style: the trip that anyone should give themselves (also because the cost is literally that of a pizza ...) at the end of a strange and different summer. Unmissable, see you up there, at the top.

Review in Italian | Read full review

80%
Nov 23, 2021

A Short Hike is a wonderfully chill little game that can easily be finished in the space of an afternoon, combining clever traversal mechanics with a lo-fi visual style and a very relatable protagonist. If you’ve got a couple of hours to kill over a weekend, or after a stressful day of work, A Short Hike is an easy recommendation.

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9 / 10.0
Aug 24, 2020

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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9.5 / 10.0
Aug 22, 2020

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
Tucker Hazell
Top Critic
9.5 / 10.0
Aug 30, 2020

A Short Hike is a tightly-crafted, charming, and heart-warming game that comes in a bite-sized package for a delightfully low price.

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Cubed3
Nayu
Top Critic
9 / 10
Sep 26, 2020

Easy to use controls, entertaining characters, fulfilling all the quests and fish list, beating personal bests at the mini games - all add to the high replay value that A Short Hike provides. It's a game to relax with before bed, or when life stresses need a calming outlet to reset one's inner harmony. Helping out illegal campers has never been so fun!

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B+
Dec 2, 2020

Though A Short Hike doesn’t bring much new to the table (many elements will feel similar to Journey, Celeste, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Animal Crossing, or Stardew Valley), the game combines familiar mechanics so well that A Short Hike, despite a few small drawbacks, is a well put together, relaxing game you shouldn’t miss out on.

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GameSpew
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Nov 17, 2021

If you enjoy casual adventuring and games that you can take at your own pace, A Short Hike is not to be missed. It may be short in name and in nature, but every moment you spend with it will warm your soul. Don’t rush to the finish line – enjoy the journey and make the most of what you discover along the way. It’s a life lesson we should all take to heart.

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Jul 28, 2019

Developer Adam Robinson-Yu began developing A Short Hike when he was feeling burned out working on another project. It's fitting, then, that what began as an act of self-care for the game's developer has blossomed into a welcome respite from the modern world that everyone should experience.

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9 / 10
Aug 7, 2019

A truly special and intelligent game, one that takes its genre --the often infamous "walking simulator"-- to new heights.

Review in Spanish | Read full review