Summary
- Xbox Game Pass adds highly-rated game A Short Hike to its lineup, offering a cozy and casual adventure for subscribers.
- A Short Hike combines elements from Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Animal Crossing, earning critical acclaim in 2019.
- A Short Hike is a short but sweet game that can be finished in a few hours.
The latest update to Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass subscription service has added one of 2019's highest-rated games to the lineup: A Short Hike. Xbox Game Pass is already off to a great start when it comes to the August 2023 new games, as it kicked off the month with another highly-rated game from years past.
On the very first day of August, Microsoft added Celeste to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, making the acclaimed platformer available to subscribers across consoles, PC, and the cloud. Celeste is often pointed to as one of the best platformers ever made, with particular praise for its incredibly challenging but rewarding stages. Celeste is tough-as-nails, but platformer fans looking for something a little more casual and cozier should definitely be excited to try A Short Hike.
While A Short Hike isn't a pure platformer per se, it certainly has platformer elements. The game is best described as a mash of concepts from Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Animal Crossing, all with a low stress, cozy game vibe. A Short Hike earned critical acclaim when it first released in 2019 and was one of the top-rated new releases of that year, so Xbox Game Pass subscribers that have yet to play it should certainly jump on the opportunity now that it's available with their subscription. Just like Celeste, A Short Hike is available for Xbox Game Pass subscribers to play across consoles, PC, and the cloud.
A Short Hike is especially ideal for anyone looking for a short but sweet gaming experience. A Short Hike can be completed in just an hour or two, with a couple more hours necessary to earn 100% completion. It should make for an easy game to get all the achievements, which in turn makes it ideal for those that like to complete Xbox Game Pass quests.
A Short Hike may be short, but it's still one of the highest-rated game of 2019, so it should make spectacular additions to the Xbox Game Pass lineup. However, it's safe to say that some Xbox Game Pass subscribers are far more interested in day one releases. Unfortunately, there are no day one Xbox Game Pass games coming in the first half of August. There are some that are coming in the second half of the month, though.
Currently, there are two day one games that Xbox Game Pass subscribers can look forward to in August 2023. Asymmetric multiplayer horror game The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is dropping on August 18, while RPG Sea of Stars is coming on August 29. While that may seem rather light, the bright side is there's another day one game to look forward to just one week later, as the highly-anticipated Starfield is coming on September 6.