Cairn Review: Reach the Summit Literally and Metaphorically

Cairn is a brand-new story-focused adventure exploration game from The Game Bakers, the team behind games like Furi and Haven. The game focuses on telling the story of Aava, a professional rock climber, as she attempts to scale the world's most dangerous mountain, Kami.

It's a heart-wrenching tale about chasing your dreams and the results of the choices you make when you do. Beyond the story, it's a difficult rock-climbing game that promises to keep things interesting the whole way up the mountain.

While it isn't perfect, Cairn is a game that speaks volumes even with limited dialogue. It exists to make a statement and to be heard from the highest mountaintop. This game doesn't just want to be played; it wants to be understood.

What is Cairn?

At its most simplified, Cairn is a game about climbing a mountain. It incorporates some light survival mechanics but focuses on rock climbing and the precarious balance required to reach a summit. Although it isn't designed to be very action-heavy, there is a good bit of tension as every move can put you closer to the ground rather than the sky.

Basically, it works similarly to Baby Steps and games like that. While you're climbing, each of your limbs moves independently; this means you'll move one limb at a time, attempting to grab and hold on to various ledges and cracks to keep yourself on the wall. It isn't designed to induce anger, but rather to make you think and plan your route before you attempt a climb.

You'll need to watch out for your food, water, and warmth bars, which, when they drop low enough, will cause you to pass out and begin losing health. Losing health isn't that big of a deal, but passing out can cause you to fall to your death or lose out on several meters worth of climbing.

It's possible to take care of these needs whenever you stop off at a save point, which allows you to put down your tent and make something to eat. You'll also have to take care of your fingers by taping them up every so often. It's a lot to think about, but while you're out climbing the mountain, it's usually not all that important.

Difficult but Very Rewarding

If the game sounds difficult, that's because it's supposed to be. The game focuses heavily on the story, but that's mostly to drive you up the mountain. The challenge comes as you attempt to hold on to the smallest holds while pushing yourself up to the next one. One miscalculation could send you tumbling down the mountain.

It's hard, especially in the beginning, as you start your climb up the mountain. You'll eventually start to understand how things work, and it'll get a bit easier to climb up the more difficult routes. While you can climb up virtually any route, it's up to you if you take the hardest or easiest path. There are hidden collectibles and such to find, but not every route has a reward.

The game also comes with a few different difficulties, which add to the experience. The normal one, recommended for the first time, is still very challenging, and any mistakes can cost you immensely. All the struggle creates a feeling of euphoria when you finally reach the next landing or surpass a particularly hard spot.

There's really no feeling like it, especially when you end up falling more than once. It's a great mix of risk and reward where every climb feels impactful, and every choice you make has consequences, whether it's using up more resources as you take a longer route or missing out on something helpful as you take the easy way.

A Soundtrack Worthy of the Stars

Usually, music exists to enhance the experience of the game, but in Cairn, the game wouldn't be the same without the incredible melodies that occasionally accompany you as you look ever upward toward your destination. They don't just enhance the game, they make it.

Without spoiling too much, the final few songs strike a real chord deep inside you as you're faced with the culmination of your choices. It all comes to a head, and in one final amazing song, you're whisked away into the pain and joy of the game. All the emotions collide as the music swells, and you finally reach your goals.

It's truly something worth experiencing, and in a game that evokes so much thought and emotion, it simply wouldn't be the same without those tracks. For some people, it will be something that goes largely unnoticed until the very end, but every time you look up at the cliffs ahead of you, you'll find yourself hoping for another powerful score.

A Feast for the Eyes

Not only is the soundtrack incredible, but several moments in the game will leave your jaw on the floor. In this day and age, where visuals seem to be centered on realism, having something stylized really sticks out.

This doesn't just stop at cutscenes. There are several spots where you can stop and rest for a moment while looking out over the mountain below. It's almost like being in the mountains yourself as you see the few other mountaintops peeking out from the clouds or watch as the sun crests over the horizon.

There's also a lot of visual storytelling in the broken-down society from a long time ago. Burial grounds and large stone carvings cover the mountainside, giving you a glimpse into what it would've been like to live on Kami. It's really quite a sight to peer up the mountainside and be able to plan your route as well.

While the visuals are a little cartoony, there is a lot of color in a place that would typically have none. As you climb, you can feel the harsh conditions increase as the snow falls a bit heavier, and that color begins to be drowned out by sharpening rocks and more dangerous-looking climbs.

The Molehill Next to the Mountain

This game is an incredible experience, but that doesn't make it perfect by any means. It still struggles in certain places, like the placement of your limbs while you climb or some buggy holds that seem to slip when they shouldn't. It was a source of constant frustration, but it wasn't so bad that it hindered my enjoyment.

While climbing, your limbs will do some very interesting things. They'll spin and twist in ways they shouldn't or will miss a hold by a few inches for no greater reason than because they can. You have to adapt and play around this, but it is certainly something that can be fixed in the near future.

That didn't stop it from nearly costing me a few runs as my foot decided it preferred the flat stone just above the foothold rather than the foothold itself. It wasn't so cumbersome that it prevented you from climbing, but it does get incredibly annoying. Add to that the occasional weird limb choice, and it's effectively an extra layer of difficulty.

There is a mechanic that allows you to choose your own limb to move, but it slows you down a bit, and in a time of crisis, you'll just want to use whatever limb is chosen already. This is fixable and controllable, so definitely not something that gets in the way of fun, but it will occasionally put a damper on your climb as you attempt to figure out why Aava is moving the wrong leg or arm.

A Story Worth Telling

The main draw of Cairn and the best reason to play this game is the story. It isn't some grand world-ending story, or something that's all about life or death scenarios. It's surprisingly grounded, pun intended. It's a story about chasing your dreams and the costs of doing so while you go out into the world, leaving behind everything else.

Aava leaves behind her family and friends to scale Kami, a mountain that no one has ever reached the summit of by climbing. She spends the majority of her time listening to various messages left by her friends and partner. It gives you a peek into what exactly drives her to the summit, but also puts you in a very different perspective from her as an outside observer.

Should she go home? Should she continue the climb? If she makes it to the top, will her life back home still be the same? If she doesn't make it, will it be something that haunts her forever? Cairn doesn't ask these questions directly, but it makes you, as a player, think about them.

No matter where you land on these subjects, the game continues onward as Aava deals with her doubts and the doubts of those around her. It's an incredibly well-crafted, thought-provoking story about chasing your goals and the impact it has not just on you but on those around you.

Many people will identify with Aava, while others may see her as selfish. This kind of writing and provocative visual storytelling is incredibly rare and nuanced. No matter how you feel, there's a pull to finish the game and see how it all shakes out. For better or worse, you'll want to know how the story ends because it's something so unmistakably real.

Cairn isn't just a good game, it's a great game. With an incredibly nuanced story and a difficulty level that will challenge almost anyone, there's not a lot to hate here. The anger, sadness, joy, and surprise all culminate into a journey that isn't just a game; it's something far more meaningful. This is a game everyone should play if only to experience that nuanced story of Aava's journey. While I wasn't expecting to connect so emotionally with this game, I'm glad I did. Cairn is a story that needs to be heard. Although it isn't perfect, what makes it special is the combination of all the different elements to make something that can be meaningful to almost anyone. In the end, the game asks the most important question of all: what is your summit?