A Short Hike, cute little 3D platformer (Win/Mac/Linux/Switch)

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Hipolito
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A Short Hike, cute little 3D platformer (Win/Mac/Linux/Switch)

Post by Hipolito »

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In this game, you're a bird named Claire who's accompanies her Aunt May on an island park getaway. Claire is not really into the trip and mainly cares about reaching the summit of the island so that she can get cell phone reception. But the hike there is strenuous, and she's not ready for it yet. She needs to build up the endurance to make the climb.

To build up endurance, you have to collect golden feathers which allow you to jump and climb higher. You can get them as quest rewards, buy them, or find them lying here and there. The more feathers you have, the easier you can get around the island so that you can find more loot and do more quests. It's a neat and innovative RPG mechanic that makes you feel stronger as you play.

The other animals on the island offer you fetch quests, foot races, treasure hunts, fishing, and a tennis-like game. There's a lot to see and do; it's like being a little kid let loose at a resort. Sometimes, while repeatedly circling the island trying to find certain quest-givers, I wished for a map with quest markers. But that would have ruined the game's simple charm.

You don't have to complete all the quests. It only takes an hour or two to get enough golden feathers to reach the summit and experience the emotionally resonant ending. But, like me, you might find yourself lingering on the island to see and do more before making that big climb.

One weird quirk is that the game's default option for pixel size is "big and crunchy." Unless you have an ancient computer or a hankering for 1990s-quality graphics, there's no reason for this. So when you start the game, go into Options, then Graphics, select "minimum" for pixel size and make everything look great.

If you bought the itch.io Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality last year, you have this game. It's one of the best games in that thousand-plus bundle, so you might as well play it!
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The Meal
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Re: A Short Hike, cute little 3D platformer (Win/Mac/Linux/Switch)

Post by The Meal »

I've seen this played in a LP video, and tried to get my daughter to jump on it. It looks really cute.
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Rumpy
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Re: A Short Hike, cute little 3D platformer (Win/Mac/Linux/Switch)

Post by Rumpy »

I played this awhile back. It's pretty great. I like the mechanic of needing feathers to climb higher, and the game world is pretty nicely detailed.
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