A Short Hike is the Perfect Detox Game

Whether we like it or not, gaming takes on a different form as we grow older. Gone are the days of binging your favorite title into the wee hours of the morning, replaced with 9 to 5s, Parenthood, and the overall general responsibilities. Nowadays, most games I play seem to have the same desire to take as much of my time as possible. The maps are huge yet devoid of anything useful, the quests are tedious and repetitive, and the stories they're trying to tell tend to be lifeless at best. Almost as if they are a vehicle designed to get you to spend as much money as possible.

Enter A Short Hike, a little indie game that I picked up based on the sole fact that it was free on the Epic Game Store. I never really intended to play it, just like all the other free games that I never really intended to play, but between falling into another rabbit hole of TikTok and staring at my ever-increasing backlog, I decided to give it a shot. And man oh man, am I glad that I did.

Within this digital detox, you play as an anthropomorphic bird named Claire, who is out on a vacation with her Aunt May to the beautiful and picturesque Hawk Peak Provincial Park. Upon arriving at the camping spot, she realizes that her phone does not have reception.

This would be no big deal, except she is expecting an important call later on, and the only way she is going to receive it is if she travels to the one place that has cell phone reception, the top of Hawk Peak. As far as openings go, this one sets up the stakes for adventure and the eventual endpoint beautifully.

It is far too easy to get sucked into the lives of those inhabiting Hawk Peak. From the fisherman who teaches you the value of patience to the over-energetic members of the climbing club, everyone here seems to be enjoying their time, and they all have interesting things to say. Because of this, I found myself going out of my way to talk to every character I saw, all the while allowing myself to slip further and further into this world.

I may have spent a little too much time searching for collectibles, be it seashells, sticks, or lost watches. In my playthrough, I never found a use for the fish I was collecting or beat a certain hiker in a foot race, even though I had at least 6 golden feathers, but I still found this weird joy in doing the activities.

I also played about an hour of ‘beach stick ball’ before I could get the 20+ hits required to pass because I was that determined to beat the record. Over and over again, the game found subtle ways to make me want to participate in its activities beyond the rewards I would get from them. It started as a way to get the coins I needed to buy necessary items. In the end, I was doing it because Claire and I were on the same journey of relaxation.

Aside from the smaller activities, your goal is to get to the top of the mountain, and you accomplish this by collecting feathers. The feathers act as your stamina gauge and dictate how long you can climb as well as how long you can glide, with you using one every time you flap your wings. The gauge refills when you touch the ground. So if you mess up a climb, you can normally reset it and try again without much fuss.

That being said, when you get closer to the peak of the mountain, it does get colder, and that will affect your feathers. It seems like you only need 7 feathers to get to the top, and I finished my game with 11. Once you reach the top, the game will trigger a cut scene that I will not spoil here, but I will say that it hit me straight in the feels. And once that is done, you will be able to glide down while taking in an awe-inspiring aerial view of your adventure.

It was at that moment, two hours into this little indie game, that I remembered what I loved about gaming in the first place. The colorful worlds, filled with relatable characters. The touching stories that hit close to home. The experiences that are begging to be shared with your friends. This is what attracted me to the hobby all those years ago. This is the feeling that I keep coming back for.

I went into this game looking for something to take away my repetitive boredom, and left it feeling shockingly relaxed. Right from the start, you and Claire are along for this ride together, and it is your decision how she spends her time at Hawk Peak. The game does not take itself too seriously, nor does it make you feel like you have to accomplish anything at all.

A Short Hike is a game designed to get you lost in its characters and organic storytelling. No quest markers or bloated maps, just an experience that wants you to take your time. And just like all the greatest games from my childhood, the rest is left up to you.