[GameSpot] - Charming Exploration Game A Short Hike Is Coming To PS4

[343iBot]

After the game's successful launch on PC, A Short Hike quickly made a home on the Nintendo Switch. Almost a year later, the game is finally coming to PlayStation 4 in Fall 2021.

Climb, soar, and explore a pixelated paradise in A Short Hike, coming to PS4 later this year: https://t.co/tHtlbyCHaM pic.twitter.com/nHIazevXES

— PlayStation (@PlayStation) August 5, 2021

If you haven't played A Short Hike, you've likely heard about it. It was praised as one of the best indie games of 2020, winning awards at the Independent Games Festival and the D.I.C.E Awards.

A Short Hike is an exploration game about a bird named Claire hiking and flying through the scenic Hawk Peak Provincial Park with the goal to reach the summit. The colorful wilderness is filled with hidden treasures, magical moments of soaring above the mountainside, and entertaining hiker NPCs that help Claire in their journey. Mini-games like fishing and playing volleyball on the beach prevent the hike from feeling linear. It's a bite-sized game with a charming story that captures the essence of hiking and the outdoors. The dynamic soundtrack by Mark Sparling added more life to the already lively world.

Along with PlayStation's announcement, Adam Robinson-Yu, the creator of A Short Hike, gave a peek into his development process on the PlayStation Blog. He discusses how his road trips inspired him to create this game. "To help create a sense of freedom, I tried to design the game as a tiny open world. I wanted to encourage exploring the road less traveled, and have your curiosity be rewarded" he explained. Players most certainly felt his intentions in-game.

Although the announcement was made only for PlayStation 4, Robinson-Yu added in the blog that he "included the option to fine-tune the pixel size to your preference. On PS4 Pro and PS5, you can even view A Short Hike in 4K!"

This captivating, comforting adventure received a 9/10 in GameSpot's A Short Hike review, with Khee Hoon Chan saying "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."

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