Hi! I absolutely adored this game myself and it's become one of my all-time favourites!
While I haven't played a lot of games exactly like this one, there are a few aspects that reminded me of other games, so I hope these might work for you!
The whole time while I played it, I kept thinking it felt like a mix of Animal Crossing and Night in The Woods. I've never played Animal Crossing myself, but I've seen and heard a lot from it and it gave me very strong vibes. Cute animals you can interact with, a little island where you can fish and collect things, peaceful with no enemies, etc.
It reminded me of Night In The Woods in the way the characters interact with you and speak: really witty, funny, charming and heartfelt conversations, with a very similar flow of speech bubbles that feel like a very natural conversation. Additionally, the characters in Night In The Woods are all cute little animals like these, in a similar art style. Claire actually reminds me of the main character, Mae. The game also has a very cute, simplified art style with a lot of warm tones and forests! The game is certainly darker than this one, more existential and there's a bit of mystery, but the dialogue and characters in Night In The Woods are such a delight and I highly recommend it!
The art style and the vibe also reminded me of Life is Strange. Although Life is Strange is a much longer game, and it's got a more realistic style, it is a very relaxing game with opportunities to get to know the characters, sit down and enjoy the environments, a relaxing soundtrack and very lovable characters. This game is definitely darker and very emotional, but the art style is beautiful and it's my go-to relaxation game. And the story and characters are amazing.
I think you'd also enjoy Firewatch - it's a first person narrative game where you play as someone who has just become a firewatch. You basically explore a beautiful forest, with a very warm and colourful style. I'd recommend it a lot if you enjoyed this game, it's got beautiful visuals, it's very relaxing and there's also a lot of witty dialogue (still - there is mystery and danger in some parts, so not as harmless and innocent as A Short Hike).
I hope any of these suggestions will come in handy! ^-^
Well, I thought Firewatch was visually gorgeous, but in every other respect I hated that game. Completely linear—with access to new areas strictly and obviously gated by acquiring items in a particular order—threadbare stories, the relationship between the main character and the other person was unnatural, and the ending completely unsatisfying. So, YMMV.
I definitely enjoyed A Short Hike, though, and would love to see more games like it. Being free to run around and actually do stuff is much more fun than being free to run around and, well, just run around, until you find the one thing you need to proceed.
Yeah, he says the game "took players on one hell of a ride", and that's how I felt as a player—taken for a ride, as in the colloquial expression. I definitely didn't feel any emotional connection with Henry; in fact I resented being told who I was and basically having all the "choices" be slight alternatives on the railroaded path to that ending. The ending was the least of my problems with the game, although watching this video reminds me how, visually, they knocked it out of the park...which made the story and ending all the more frustrating.
I similarly quit playing Night In The Woods because I was dropped into the shoes of an unlikable person with a past everybody but me knew.
Still, it seems there are people who like such games; more power to 'em.
All good points, I can admit Firewatch isn't for everyone even though it's one of my favourite games of all time =)
The only other game I've played where the gameplay feels almost as 'free' and open world as in A Short Hike is Sly Cooper (any of the games from the series). You can climb around pretty much anywhere, there are ways to glide around (if you get a 'paraglider') and an open world full of opportunities to jump around, explore and climb. There are hidden treasures to find, too. The game is very based on missions and doing quests, though, and the environment is definitely darker and more action-packed, but the exploration feels very nice in this game.
I doubt this will be of much help but it reminded me of a cross between Night in the Woods and Wii Sports Resort: Island Flyover. While it isn't really a full game at all, I really recomend playing the island flyover mode in Wii Sports Resort to anyone who enjoyed A Short Hike. It'll only be a few minutes of exploration, but for how easy that game is to emulate I'd say it is decently worth it for the zenful charm!
