Cairn: A tense, visceral climbing experience that blends survival, precision, and human story into one unforgettable ascent.
The Game Bakers is best known for developing Fury, a punishing boss rush game praised for its precise combat and extreme difficulty. Their new game is Cairn. With Cairn, they’ve completely changed things, giving up guns and boss fights for the pure thrill of climbing. The game, like Jusant, Peak, and Insurmountable, is in a growing group of games that are all about rising.
In contrast to most adventure or platform games, Cairn doesn’t let you move horizontally very much. Instead, it focuses on the tension, balance, and principles of free solo climbing. The idea behind Cairn seems very simple at first glance: turn the naturally satisfying act of climbing—a big part of games like Uncharted or Breath of the Wild—into a single, never-ending experience.
But things that seem simple on paper are hard to understand when you play them. Climbing here is more than just moving; it’s a test of how well you can plan, be patient, and manage your resources. In Cairn, you put yourself in the shoes (or rather, the bare, bandaged feet) of Ava, a skilled mountain climber who is eager to reach the top of Mount Kami, a notoriously dangerous peak that no one has ever reached.
The mountain itself is scary, but the story is mostly about Ava’s trip, which shows how tough, determined, and persistent people can be.
At some places along the way, Marco, her eager but inexperienced climbing partner, goes with her. The relationship between the two climbers gives the story more depth by showing how different Ava’s calm, careful personality is from Marco’s young energy.
The story itself is subtle but powerful. The history of the mountain and the stories of hikers who came before are filled out by small notes, abandoned backpacks, and stories told by the environment. The relationship drama isn’t over the top, but the voice acting gives the characters realness and weight, especially Sophia Elenni as Ava and Haley Ogrady as Marco.
Every grunt, gasp, or sigh made during a tough climb adds to the emotional impact, making each dangerous ledge feel like it’s just for you. Cairn doesn’t have a lot of story, but the story it does have is beautifully integrated with the gameplay, which gives players a reason to keep rising.
The climbing physics of Cairn are what make it stand out. The main part of the game lets you handle each of Ava’s limbs separately, but most players will find the automatic mode easier to use. Each foot and hand must find a firm grip, and balance must be kept. If weight isn’t distributed correctly, you could slip or fall and hurt yourself badly.
The system mimics the extreme care that real climbers have to take, showing Ava’s tremors, labored breathing, and physical strain through movements and subtle feedback—no need for annoying HUD alerts.
Survival tactics are built right into the ascent. Hunger, thirst, mood, and stamina are all factors that can affect how well you rise. You can get food and drink from natural sources or abandoned climbers’ gear. Consumables like bandages, chalk, and finger tape help you keep your grip and treat injuries.
There is a small robot called Climbot companion that helps set up tents, get tools, and fix climbing aids. Some people might think it breaks the immersion, but it just makes things easier without making the task less important.
The conflict caused by managing resources is what makes Cairn so interesting. You can’t hurry. If you push yourself too far without enough supplies, you could slip or run out of important meters. Because of this, each part of Mount Kami becomes a puzzle of strategy and planning, with climbs getting more dangerous and weather getting worse.
There aren’t any standard fights in Cairn, but each climb is like a puzzle.
You have to be careful, balanced, and plan ahead for every wall, ledge, and crack. Players have to choose a path, put temporary safety anchors (pythons) in the right place, and figure out the best way to spin their limbs. Whether you fail, you don’t simply be punished; you also learn something new, including how to balance weight, how far Ava can reach, and whether to utilize tools or take a break.
The game’s risk-reward system is very good. A dangerous stretch might enable you go faster or get there faster, but if you make a mistake, it might be quite disastrous, and you could waste 20 to 30 minutes of hard work.
There is a lot of stress, even though checkpoints and petons help to keep people safe. Falling is a part of the game; it’s feedback, not punishment, that helps you take a methodical approach instead of just doing the same thing over and over again.
Risks in the world act as enemies, but there isn’t much traditional fighting. Slippery rocks, strong winds, and darkness all make things harder, requiring both planning ahead and thinking on the spot. The simple design of the game makes sure that these parts never feel unfair. They are always obvious through animations, visual cues, and input like shaking limbs or camera zooms.
The design of the climbing is simple but deep, giving players a lot of options and teaching them through failure.
The method is improved by survival and environmental factors, which give every move weight. What could be made better? Sometimes, limb selection mistakes in automatic mode or strange ragdoll results can be very upsetting.
Some items, like food buffs that only last a short time, sometimes run out too quickly to be useful. Performance can drop a lot on systems like the Steam Deck, which makes it harder to get into the game. Cairn doesn’t use standard ways to get experience or level up.
Instead, success is measured by how well you learn new skills, master new routes, and use your resources. Each and every successful ascent, particularly on challenging walls, gives you the impression that you are making progress and gives you the impression that you are growing better.
Through the use of a zoomed-out map display, players are able to watch every blunder, fall, and attempt again on previous courses. This accentuates the fact that previous performance might have an effect on future performance.
Personal talent is given greater weight than statistics because there is no standard experience point system.
Instead of grinding, players get better by practicing, watching, and using resources in a smart way. This mechanic works great for Cairn because the game isn’t about getting abstract points; it’s about getting better at the game, being patient, and knowing the mountain.
Cairn‘s images are useful and create atmosphere. The character models, especially Ava’s, can look a little off at times—her face looks almost goofy at times—but the scale and level of detail in the environments are great. Every part of Mount Kami feels different because of the changing weather, day-night cycles, and different types of landscape.
Climbs at night, when there is only Ava’s light and the stars to see, make you feel very alone and vulnerable. The way rain, snow, and wind look can make you feel unsafe, which can affect both your immersion and your games.
It looks more real when there are even small details about the surroundings, like wet ledges or rocks with subtle textures. Some strange movement quirks, like limbs teleporting after falling or moving in strange ways, don’t really take away from the experience.
The sound design in Cairn is subtle, draws you in, and was done on purpose. The mood and size of the mountain are conveyed by sounds like wind, rain, rocks cracking, and faraway animals. Music isn’t used very often; it only shows up during tense times to build up the tension without taking away from the natural soundscape.
The voice acting is great. Ava’s hard work, sighs, and whispered complaints add to the tension of the game and make her feel like a real person. Marco’s young accents add contrast, and the Climbot’s quiet help fits in with the soundscape without getting in the way. Rather than specific HUD signs, players often use audio cues to figure out their stamina, grip, and risk without having to look at the screen.
Cairn is one of the best independent games of our time. It makes the basic act of getting up tense, sexy, and emotionally powerful. There is a reason for every handhold, slip, and rest point, and the way that environmental hazards, survival rules, and small animations are all put together makes sure that every climb feels like it has a purpose.
The tale, even though it’s simplistic, provides the game with a base. There is no such thing as a quiet Ava’s avatar. She is a real person with flaws, goals, and a strong will that make gamers care about everything she does. The mountain is no longer only a task; it’s a location where individuals can show how strong they are and how smart they are, and grow.
