Nintendo Switch Critic Reviews

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.

A Short Hike really is a perfect experience. It’s easily one of the best games I’ve played this year, and I loved every single moment.

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.

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

A Short Hike is a small but fully realised world: packed with great characters and emotional moments. There’s no better way to spend an afternoon. [Issue #2, p.56]

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.

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

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.

The feeling when you are on holiday and you don’t want to leave: free of daily obligations and worries, and being surrounded by exciting new opportunities and adventures. This is the essence of A Short Hike. Truly marvellous.

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!