I took a sneak peak into this rabbit - hole of a game, playing the demo for two hours on the Switch and what can I say, but: I think, I saved myself.

After struggling with the controls for a while, I realized my own stupidity and optimized my play-style, as well as my small factory. And that is, what this game is all about: optimize into infinity.

I totally get, why people spend thousands of hours into this type of game, that looks and feels to me like a weird hybrid of Into the Breach, Frostpunk and Minecraft. It's the type of drug, I know, I would extremely enjoy, but just this bit too much. So for now, I stick to watching other people taking it.

I say for now, as I was not brave enough to abandoned this game, because a small, devilish part of my subconsciousness still hopes for a point of weakness and the sudden access to unlimited free-time.

If you are on the hunt for a wholesome, chilled and rewarding little adventure, you are right here.

You will embody the little flappy bird Claire on her journey up to Hawk Peak to grab some cellphone reception to receive an important phone call. Along your way you socialize, engage with the islanders and get sugarcoated by a delightful soundtrack.

The game feels just so well paced, as you decide, what activities you want to engage with, which path you choose and where to stop and simply enjoy the view. A Short Hike contains what the title promises on its cover: Animal Crossing-Cozyness with some dope-ass flying system, you improve with every step taken.

This game proves, it does not always have to be a mind-bending, epic meta-story. Sometimes a simplistic yet straight-forward adventure is enough, to put a smile on your face after a rainy day.

I recently rediscovered my deep love for first person puzzle games and played through a bunch of them (partially again), like Superliminal, Viewfinder or Stanley Parable, before revisiting the one-and-only Portal 2. Last year I played Portal 1 and after replaying part two, part one feels like a toddler to me, especially in terms of complexity, content and puzzle variety. Expanding the repertoire of elements with the gels and transportation beams just exploded the set of possibilities and Valve used their potential.

But in my mind, what really sets Portal 2 apart and makes it feel so fun and outstanding, is it’s sense of verticality. You have to make use of your environment in every possible directions. And you know that feeling in your gut, when you lift off in a rollercoaster, just for a second or two? That’s the excitement you feel while jumping of a cliff in Lonely Mountains Downhill, that’s the rush you feel in Neon White and that’s the feeling that Portal 2 use as an attraction to keep going. And it is not just a gimmick, the full-dimensional traversal IS the mean guideline in level and puzzle design. It is a brilliant example of how few things a game needs to succeed, to be creative, and hit the sweet spot in-between guiding and experimenting by making use of the lateral thinking approach.

I noticed one small thing, while replaying: There is a lot of talking in Portal 2, as you are accompanied or supervised nearly through your entire journey. The writing is bursting with self-reflective irony and meta-jokes, yet it is simply A LOT. But that is the only real „flaw“ I could name and this is no sugarcoating.

Portal 2 is one of those rare, what I would call cinematic puzzlers, with lots of effects and drama and meta-humor, but yet feels so humble, simplistic and straight forward. It’s the perfect sandbox, where Valve only decided to pick the best parts and merged it to the iconic and timeless game, that even 13 years after it’s release, is unique and joyful.