A Short Hike Review
A Short Hike
Table of Contents
- Overview
- Sound design
- Graphics
- Performance
- Scores
Overview
A Short Hike is an indie adventure game developed and published by Adamgryu. Released in 2019, the game offers a serene and explorative experience set in a picturesque, open-world environment. Players control a small bird as they traverse the scenic landscapes of Hawk Peak Provincial Park, engaging in light platforming, exploration, and interactions with various friendly characters.
The game is designed to encourage curiosity and relaxation, featuring non-linear progression that allows players to engage with the world at their own pace. It employs a charming, low-polygon art style with a warm color palette, reinforcing its inviting atmosphere. The soundtrack, composed by Mark Sparling, complements the game’s tranquil tone with dynamic musical transitions based on player activity.
Despite its brief runtime, A Short Hike has been widely praised for its engaging mechanics, thoughtful world design, and ability to deliver a meaningful experience within a compact framework.
Sound design.
The sound design and music of A Short Hike play a crucial role in shaping the game’s relaxing and immersive atmosphere. The soundtrack, composed by Mark Sparling, features a dynamic blend of acoustic instrumentation, soft piano melodies, and ambient synths, all of which contribute to the game’s warm and inviting tone. The music seamlessly transitions based on the player’s actions and location, ensuring that each moment feels organic and appropriately scored.
The game’s score is characterized by gentle, looping melodies that shift in intensity as the player explores different parts of Hawk Peak Provincial Park. The instrumentation includes elements of folk and lo-fi music, incorporating light percussion, guitar, and woodwinds to create a peaceful and contemplative mood. This approach to music not only reinforces the game’s leisurely pace but also enhances the sense of wonder and exploration that defines the experience.
One of the most notable aspects of the game’s music is its ability to adapt dynamically to the player’s progress. When traversing calm areas, the soundtrack remains subdued, featuring delicate piano motifs and subtle background harmonies. However, as the player ascends higher or engages in more active gameplay elements, the music swells, adding layers of instrumentation to evoke a sense of momentum and accomplishment. This technique ensures that the soundtrack remains engaging while never feeling intrusive or repetitive.
Beyond the music, A Short Hike also excels in its ambient sound design. The gentle rustling of trees, the lapping of water against the shoreline, and the distant calls of birds all contribute to a vibrant and natural soundscape. These environmental sounds are carefully balanced, allowing moments of quiet contemplation between musical transitions. The inclusion of subtle audio cues, such as the soft crunch of footsteps on different terrain types or the rhythmic splash of water when swimming, further enhances the tactile feel of the world.
Overall, the sound design and music of A Short Hike are integral to its success. The soundtrack’s dynamic nature complements the game’s exploratory structure, while the ambient soundscape creates a sense of presence within the world. The music not only supports the game’s themes of relaxation and discovery but also serves as a highlight in its own right. In this regard, A Short Hike demonstrates how a carefully crafted audio experience can elevate a simple premise into something emotionally resonant and memorable.
Graphics
The visual presentation of A Short Hike is one of its most defining and endearing features. The game employs a low-poly, pixelated aesthetic that blends simplicity with a distinct artistic style. Despite its minimalistic approach, the game’s visuals manage to create a world that feels both rich and inviting, evoking a sense of nostalgia while maintaining a unique identity.
The environment is presented in a soft, pastel-inspired color palette, with gentle blues, greens, and earthy tones that shift naturally depending on the time of day and location. This choice of color enhances the game’s calming atmosphere, reinforcing its themes of exploration and relaxation. Each area of Hawk Peak Provincial Park is visually distinct, from lush forests and rocky cliffs to shimmering lakes and sandy shores. While the world is compact, it never feels repetitive, as the variety in terrain and environmental details keeps the journey engaging.
One of the most striking aspects of the game’s visual design is its use of a pixelation filter that gives the game a unique, retro-inspired texture. This pixelation effect can be adjusted in the settings, allowing players to choose between a sharper or more pixelated appearance depending on their preference. While some players may initially find the pixelated effect to be an acquired taste, it ultimately serves to enhance the game’s dreamlike quality. The softened edges and slightly blurred details encourage players to focus on the broader composition of scenes rather than fine details, much like viewing a landscape painting rather than a photorealistic rendering.
The animation work in A Short Hike is another highlight. Movements are smooth and expressive despite the low-poly character models. The protagonist, a small bird named Claire, moves with a delightful sense of weight and fluidity, whether walking, climbing, or soaring through the sky. The flight mechanics, in particular, are visually satisfying, with subtle animations that convey momentum and grace as Claire glides effortlessly over the landscape. Small details, such as the way her wings stretch out when catching an updraft or the way her feet kick when swimming, add personality and charm to the experience.
The game also makes excellent use of lighting and weather effects to create a dynamic and immersive environment. As players ascend higher into the mountain, they will encounter changes in lighting, such as the golden hues of a setting sun or the cooler, shadowed tones of dense forested areas. Occasional weather shifts, like rain or mist, further enhance the game’s sense of atmosphere. These elements, while subtle, contribute to the overall feeling of being in a living, breathing world.
Beyond the main environmental design, the game’s visual storytelling is equally effective. Despite lacking detailed facial expressions, the characters are animated in ways that convey personality through simple gestures and body language. Dialogue boxes are accompanied by slight character movements, ensuring that interactions feel lively rather than static.
The UI and HUD elements are kept minimal, allowing the player to fully immerse themselves in the environment without unnecessary distractions. The lack of excessive visual clutter reinforces the game’s theme of free exploration, ensuring that players remain focused on the natural beauty of the world rather than constantly checking indicators or menus.
Ultimately, the graphics and visual design of A Short Hike are a fundamental part of what makes the game so engaging. The deliberate simplicity of the art style allows for a timeless appeal while enhancing the game’s themes of relaxation and discovery. Rather than aiming for realism, the game embraces abstraction, using color, lighting, and animation to evoke emotion and atmosphere. This artistic approach ensures that A Short Hike remains visually distinct, proving that a game does not need high-fidelity graphics to create a compelling and memorable experience.
Performance
A Short Hike is an exceptionally well-optimized game, capable of running smoothly on a wide range of hardware configurations. Due to its minimalist, low-poly art style and lightweight processing requirements, the game does not demand high-end components, making it accessible to players regardless of their system specifications. Whether played on older machines, modern PCs, or even portable platforms such as the Nintendo Switch, A Short Hike delivers a consistent and fluid experience with minimal technical issues.
On PC, the game is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring broad compatibility across different operating systems. The system requirements are minimal, with the game requiring only a 64-bit processor, 2 GB of RAM, and an integrated GPU such as Intel HD Graphics. This makes A Short Hike particularly well-suited for laptops and lower-end systems, as it does not rely on powerful hardware to maintain stable performance. Even on machines with limited processing power, the game runs at high frame rates without noticeable slowdowns.
The Nintendo Switch version of the game is also well-optimized, providing a smooth experience whether played in handheld or docked mode. The game’s control scheme translates well to a gamepad, and the performance remains stable even in areas with larger draw distances or multiple animated elements. The ability to play A Short Hike portably aligns perfectly with its design philosophy, as the game’s short sessions and open-ended exploration lend themselves well to on-the-go play.
On all platforms, load times are minimal, and frame rates remain consistent. The game does not suffer from significant bugs or crashes, and its small file size (under 1 GB) ensures a quick installation process. Additionally, the game supports a variety of resolutions and aspect ratios, with options to adjust pixel scaling and fullscreen settings. This level of customization allows players to tailor the visual experience to their preferences while maintaining smooth performance.
Overall, A Short Hike exemplifies how thoughtful optimization can allow a game to reach a broad audience without sacrificing visual quality or responsiveness. Its ability to run efficiently on low-end hardware while still delivering a visually and mechanically polished experience highlights the benefits of an intentional, lightweight design. Whether played on a modest laptop, a gaming PC, or a portable console, A Short Hike performs reliably, ensuring that technical limitations do not interfere with its engaging and relaxing gameplay.
Scores
Sound Design & Music: 24/25
A Short Hike excels in its sound design, featuring a dynamic and adaptive soundtrack that enhances the game’s atmosphere. The blend of folk, lo-fi, and ambient music styles perfectly complements the game’s relaxed pacing and sense of exploration. Environmental sounds, such as rustling leaves and lapping water, add to the immersive experience. The only minor drawback is that the soundtrack, while excellent, is relatively short, meaning some tracks may become familiar quickly.
Graphics & Visual Design: 23/25
The game’s low-poly, pixelated aesthetic is charming and well-executed, effectively contributing to its nostalgic and relaxing tone. The use of lighting, color, and animation creates an inviting world that encourages exploration. The ability to adjust pixelation settings adds an extra level of customization. While the visuals are intentionally minimalistic, some players may find the pixelation effect to be an acquired taste, and finer details can occasionally become difficult to discern.
Performance & Optimization: 25/25
A Short Hike is an exceptionally well-optimized game, running smoothly on a wide range of hardware with minimal system requirements. Load times are quick, frame rates remain stable across platforms, and there are no significant performance issues or bugs. The game’s lightweight nature ensures a seamless experience, making it accessible to players on both high-end and low-end devices. There are no noticeable shortcomings in this category, earning it a perfect score.
Total Score and sumary
Total Score: 72/75
A Short Hike delivers an outstanding audiovisual and technical experience, with high-quality sound design, a distinct and effective art style, and flawless performance. The minor limitations in soundtrack variety and the optional pixelation effect slightly affect its final score but do not detract significantly from the overall experience.