A SHORT HIKE
Format PC
Developer/publisher Adamgryu
Origin US
Release 2019
Claire’s trip to Hawk Peak Provincial Park is a getaway with a purpose. The protagonist of Adam Robinson-Yu’s breakthrough game is there to relax and take her mind off things (and to pay her aunt a visit) but she’s also anticipating an important phone call. Yet the only place she can get reception is at the top of the mountain, and so her pressure-free meandering still has a clearly defined goal. In many ways, Claire’s journey neatly mirrors her creator’s own. In development terms, this really was a short hike – from conception to its original release as a Humble Original it took just four months, and four more for its Steam launch. Yet it was one Robinson-Yu only embarked upon because he, too, needed to take a break – abandoning a climb he’d already started to tackle a smaller, more manageable peak.
It was December 2018 when it all began. At that time, Robinson-Yu had been working on another game for just over a year. , as it would become known, was a mission to recapture the spirit of the first two games, with the series having strayed further from its roleplaying roots ever since. The popularity of GameCube entry ensured a groundswell of Internet support, with Robinson-Yu generating enough attention to bring his game to Double Fine’s Day Of The
