‘ A Short Hike’ is also a relaxing, meditative game

Soak in the beauty of the surroundings while going on your quest to reach the mountain top

The charming indie game, A Short Hike created by Adam Robinson-Yu maybe appear relatively uncomplicated, but kept me captivated for a good couple of hours.

You play as a young anthropomorphic bird who has gone on a camping trip into the mountains with her father.

Your goal is straightforward: make your way to the top of the mountain so that you can get cellphone reception in order to receive an important phone call.

Of course, getting there is the real challenge and along the way, you’ll be tasked with completing a number of puzzles, quests and platforming challenges before you’re finally able to make it to the peak.

None of these obstacles are too difficult, though, and the focus of the game is more about soaking in the atmosphere and environment than about seriously testing your wits.

The experience is aided by a lovely art style as well as a beautiful soundtrack courtesy of Mark Sparling.

If you’re just trying to make it to the end, you could probably blitz through it in around 30 minutes or so but you’d be missing out on a lot.

Playing this game almost feels like an act of mediation rather than the more conventional videogames and I’ve found it a great way to calm down at the end of a stressful day.

In addition, there are a lot of fun characters to meet and side quests to take part in. You might even find yourself standing in one place and soaking in the beautiful scenery below you.

A Short Hike is available on the Nintendo Switch, itch.io, Steam, GOG and Epic storefronts.

’ You ll be tasked with completing a number of puzzles, quests and platforming challenges