It's quite rare to see such an exemplar in game design in such a tight package. More specifically, A Short Hike is superb at exploration-based world design, making for a satisfying progression curve in just an hour and change. The game essentially gives the player the diameter of a circle to move about as they please, until they find a feather to upgrade to Claire's flying, which tightens the diameter of the circle as the player progresses up the mountain. What's brilliant here is that there's more feathers in the world than needed to complete the game, which provides the player both with the sense that their progression is their own but also a laidback reassurance that the challenge can be overcome in the way that's most convenient to them. All of this fits in well with the cozy autumnal presentation and the lean and sincere story, which efficiently tells a message about appreciating life's smaller comforts while comforting the larger anxieties it can provide. While the game is arguably too slim to be truly impactful considering it's ambitions, it is nonetheless an expertly focused and crafted experience.