Well, "A Short Hike" was very different from the game I had somewhat expected before playing it. I don't want to describe this game in vague terms such as "a healing game".
If I were to use an analogy, it would be as if, on the way up a snowy mountain, I was freezing to death, I found a hot spring that seemed to warm me to the core, and when I soaked myself in it, I felt like...am I...crying?
I thought this is a paradise with such hot springs everywhere, this is an incomparable game.
But I believe such a game like this is a place that can never be created by those who have never known the state of being on the edge, frozen in body and soul.
Someone once said, "Only those who have looked into the depths of despair can be truly kind to others".
The cute and deceptively soft atomosphere seems to be supported by the immense tenderness that surges from the very edge of the creater's heart and envelops his wild mind.
The game is perfect in the delicate background music that tugs at your heartstrings at every turn, the graphics, and the character modeling.
I'm not allowed to say "I cried," but I think I actually cried a little bit while playing this game.
Is tears creepy for a good old adult?
No, of course not. At my age, certainly it is not every day that I cry over a video game.
I think that the tears I shed in this game were probably because I was touched by the "compassion". It was the tenderness of the creator's heart, the kindness of "A Short Hike" that was reflected in every pixel dot, and moreover, the compassion of the game itself.
And I ask myself, what is the rarest charm of "A Short Hike" ?
The fact that it presents the root of the fun/enjoyment of games with a simple point of view. I wrote "fun/enjoyment", but when you play this work, you will deeply realize that fun is connected to enjoyment straightly.
For example, flying, running around in the mountains, swimming, and so on. Taking "golden feathers" more flying higher, climbing higher. In other words, it is to enjoy and feel every bit of the short hike.
By taking the golden feather, the protagonist Claire gains the ability to fly, lengthening her dwell time and eventually flying all over the island and stretching her legs to places she could not go before.
There is usually "something" there that makes the player happy. It could be another golden feather, an unknown item, a new path, a new coin, a new view, or interaction with a beloved character. You can call it "growth".
The range of movement expands. More things to do. An increase in knowledge and wisdom. The things we gain, the world we see, and the encounters we have with others are all part of a chain of growth. Through growth of mind and body, you will experience the depth, the flavor, and the frustration of life (Though life is only a short period of our lives).
"A Short Hike". I sincerely hope that not only all gamers but also all human beings who live their lives in this world will play this game. The more people play this game, the more the total amount of "compassion" in this world will increase, but only slightly, but surely. So many horrible war might be reduced just a little bit .......
This may be the "idealism of a spoiled gamer".
However, I feel certain games certainly has such power.
The compassion of "A Short Hike" will slowly spread from the heart of just one person --you, me, him, or her -- and eventually fill this world like a hot spring that warms you to the core. Maybe, surely, definitely.
text by Itsuki Horiuchi
