A Short Hike developer makes goofy, unofficial online multiplayer mod

polygon.com:

A Short Hike is an exceptional game about a bird going on a nature hike. It packs so much exploration into a relatively small package, pushing back against the longer quest lists in larger games. The thought of packing A Short Hike with other players is entirely counter to the ethos of the game — which is what makes the PC mod A Short Hike 99 so wonderfully chaotic.

The idea started as an April Fools’ Day bit about making the game a “battle royale,” developer Adam Robinson-Yu said on Twitter — though the implementation is for “just vibing,” not fighting. It’s a “rough mod” that will allow you to “see up to 99 other players” as you play, according to a tweet in Robinson-Yu’s thread.

EVEN MORE FACTS you can see up to 99 other players i'm gonna keep the server up for 2 weeks ♨️ on Steam, you can get it on the «betas» tab this is not a beta tho, just a mod i've tested this with like, max 10 people lol

The unofficial mod is currently available on itch.io. The page details how to download and install A Short Hike 99 on Steam, as well, using the “betas” tab. The mod isn’t going to be a long-term implemented change, and is instead “a fun experiment,” according to the page. And while Robinson-Yu said the server will be up for two weeks, the Itch.io page also notes that “you can download and run your own server if you’d like.”