A Short Hike: climb a mountain and find reasons to wander

The summit is a reason to go, not the whole journey

Claire is missing something ordinary: phone reception. The answer lies up a mountain. A Short Hike turns that errand into a walk around Hawk Peak, where the route to the summit shares space with trails, conversations and small detours. Adam Robinson-Yu’s description invites walking, climbing and gliding, along marked paths or away from them. That choice holds the game’s central idea: you know where you are going, but can decide what deserves attention along the way. A discovery does not have to be a new release; this 2019 adventure still offers an approachable premise.[1][4]

Movement is part of curiosity

Golden feathers extend climbing and mid-air jumping, as Nintendo Life’s review explains. Progress has a visible consequence for the route: reaching places that were previously out of reach. Gliding offers another view of the landscape. The question is no longer only which ascent is most direct; it can also be what lies on that hillside or whether a detour connects to another path. This account comes from the sources, without claiming our own playthrough. The mechanic links the goal of climbing with freedom to investigate what you notice.[4][1]

A park with things to do

Nintendo’s listing invites you to find characters and activities while exploring; Steam describes a hike at your own pace, with hidden treasures and encounters along the way. That is a meaningful difference from treating the mountain as a staircase to an endpoint. If those pauses appeal, travelling can matter as much as arriving. If you prefer a goal to orient yourself, the summit still supplies a direction. The sources describe a welcoming exploration space, but that is not a guarantee of relaxation for every person or a claim that movement presents no challenges.[3][2]

What a contemporary review found

Writing for Nintendo Life on 29 August 2020, Stuart Gipp highlighted free exploration within a compact setting. He also noted that a shortcut could make switching tools more convenient. That gives readers a concrete expectation: an appealing walk does not make every interaction perfect. It is an assessment of the Switch edition at that time, not our test of every current version. We do not adopt his score as our rating or turn it into reader votes. The critic’s reasoning is more informative here than an isolated number.[4]

Where to find it and what to check

Steam records its release there on 30 July 2019, with Windows, macOS and Linux versions. Latin American Spanish text is included; check the listing for the edition you buy. Steam Spain showed €3.62 on 11 October 2026, against a regular €6.59, at 45% off. We have not verified when that offer ends, and it can change. The developer’s website also links other stores and consoles. The embedded trailer comes from that site and shows the actual game; the header image is our own editorial illustration, not a screenshot. The question when choosing it is simple: does a walk where progress includes allowing yourself a detour appeal to you?[2][1][5]

A Short Hike: climb a mountain and find reasons to wander

The summit is a reason to go, not the whole journey

Movement is part of curiosity

A park with things to do

What a contemporary review found

Where to find it and what to check

Sources and checks

Was this article useful?

Optional external video

The summit is a reason to go, not the whole journey

Movement is part of curiosity

A park with things to do

What a contemporary review found

Where to find it and what to check

Sources and checks

Was this article useful?