This game is simply a delight. You arrive on a little island and want to make a phone call, but there's no cell reception except at the very peak of the mountain—a bit of a hike for a young bird with no flight feathers! You'll get there in due time, but in the meantime you've got a whole island to explore. This is a light, whimsical, no pressure game (apart from certain sporting activities), an ideal way to while away a few hours. 

A Short Hike is visually simple—3D but rendered in an 80s-retro sort of style. It's quite appealing, but if you find it too chunky you can adjust that a little bit. Gameplay is smooth as silk and controls are simple and easy to understand. My one minor complaint is that the camera angle adjusts automatically, and sometimes with turn up to 180° on you while you're moving, so you have to adjust your steering.

For such a "small" game it's remarkably immersive, and it feels like there's always something new around the corner, even if you've already been around that corner. You get no map, so the feeling of wandering remains key, but you can find a compass to help you orient yourself. There are plenty of side activities like treasure hunting, volleyball, fishing, and racing to keep you busy as you figure out your way to the very top of Hawk's Peak.

Once you get there, you're basically done with the main quest—there is no final boss of course. But there's likely to be a few things you haven't found or finished back below, so be sure to return and talk to a few of the critters to see what they think of your achievement.