Dead Pixels

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A Short Hike- Video Games As Art

I've been playing a lot of open world games lately and whilst it has been amazing to explore the 9 realms of Norse mythology (God of War), the skyscrapers of New York (Spiderman) and a post-apocalyptic world strewn with robotic animals (Horizon: Zero Dawn), I was getting 'stunningly rendered world with amazing bloom lighting effect' fatigue. So I decided to take a bit of a break, by playing 'A Short Hike', an open world game where you explore an island with the purpose of scaling a mountain to receive reception for an important phone call. The difference between this open world game and the others is that it a tightly contained 1 1/2 hour game with no extra padding. It has a few fetch quests but I can count them on one hand and all are achievable in a couple of minutes. There isn't a map and as a result there isn't a splooge of icons like an irritating shopping list. No, it's concise and relaxing... Just what was needed after the intensity and demands of the other games. I love the colourful isometric Nintendo 3DS art style and the cute but concise dialogue. It's a charming game and well work the few quid on investment.