A Short Hike

A game about climbing the highest mountain to call your mom. What's not to like? On a more serious note, the game aces by limiting itself. The world being so small makes every corner memorable and relevant. Which in turn makes an in-game map unnecessary, which in turn makes the exploration a better experience. Gliding is amazing, and the mini-games all find a great balance between being challenging and fun. That includes the boat racing. Just don't go full throttle into every corner. Only collecting all sprouts or fish felt like "work" instead of entertainment. Oh and the NPCs and dialogues are great too, simply by the characters graphically emphasizing written words or statements. Simple and yet very effective. 84/100

WARNING: NOT ACTUALLY A SHORT HIKE I jest, Short Hike is a stand out isometric platformer about, well, making frens, and phone calls. No spoilers but the game is much deeper in every way than you probably are expecting. There is a lot to do, and a lot to explore, and by god, you will love exploring. Honestly the best a platformer has ever controlled. It kinda kicked off the cozy platformer subgenre and it holds up more or less perfectly. If I could give this 2 thumbs or 3, I would.

One of my favorite "Beat in a day" kinda game. made me feel good from start to end, there's a clear feeling where you're living someone good memories. 10/10 would recommend for almost every type of gamer out there.