A Short Hike is essentially Celeste by way of Animal Crossing. And if you’re anything like me, that’s all you need to know to rush out and buy it right now. But I’ll expand upon this comparison anyway (mostly because I’m so proud of the analogy).

Like Celeste, ASH is a game about a young woman struggling with anxiety, who climbs a mountain in order to find herself. Like Animal Crossing, ASH is a virtually conflict/stress-free stroll through a picturesque, forested island which is entirely populated by adorable anthropomorphic animals. Like Celeste, a Golden Feather plays a prominent role in the journey to an icy peak. Like Animal Crossing, there is fishing, buried items to dug up with a shovel, flowers to be watered, and relationships to be nurtured.

A Short Hike is a game of pure exploration. There’s the exploration of the environment; a whole island—lovely rendered in a charming, colorful, low-poly art style—is here for you to examine and discover its many secrets. And there’s also the exploration of character; what is our young heroine going through, and what are her relationships to the other characters? As you progress through your casual hike, you constantly gain new insights on both fronts, and it makes all parties more and more endearing.

Unlike Celeste, this game is not going to challenge your dexterity or sheer will. (Though I did make it my mission to reach the summit without the number of golden feathers said to be required.) The gameplay here is super relaxed, more than most any other game I’ve ever seen—outside of perhaps Animal Crossing. All conflict is mild or internal to our protagonist’s mind. If you’re looking for a nonviolent respite in video game form, this could be it.

The game’s designer, Adam Robinson-Yu, was apparently feeling worn out and sought to create a peaceful game experience evocative of summer hiking trips he’d enjoyed in his youth. I think it’s safe to say that he has completely nailed that vibe. Composer Mark Sparling’s impressive score also greatly contributes to the game’s atmosphere of stress-free wandering.

As you might gleam from the title, A Short Hike is not a long game. You could easily complete it in a couple hours, though I greatly suspect you will choose to spend more time in this world. At full price, it costs about $8, so—due to the game’s brevity—I could see some players might wait for a sale to pick up. (Or if you purchased the Bundle for Racial Justice and Equality on itch.io back in June, it was included it that.) However, I do believe this game is well worth its price tag and you shouldn’t sleep on it. SO HURRY UP AND RELAX, GODDAMMIT!

The overall experience of playing A Short Hike is so delightful, such a relief from today’s daily horrors, that it is well worth your time and attention.

UPDATE: A Short Hike has now been released for the Nintendo Switch! They’ve even added a new boating element to the game, complete with its own musical motif. And man, this tune gives me some nostalgic Windwaker vibes. Delightful!