Cairn Is an Exercise in Solitude, Worth the Climb

For me, games with a profound sense of escapism often hinge on solitude. The idea of leaving this world behind for a journey where you rely on your wits to survive in unfamiliar terrain has always appealed to me.

Shadow of the Colossus, Death Stranding, and FAR: Lone Sails all capture that mood of deliberate isolation. Now I can add Cairn to that list, and I think I finally understand why so many climbers risk their lives to reach the summit.

The Game Bakers at Their Most Confident

Furi is one of my favorite games of all time, and The Game Bakers could have iterated on it to continue making excellent action games, and I would have been satisfied. Yet this is a studio that clearly does not want to make the same game twice. After Furi, they made a romantic RPG adventure in Haven, and now Cairn is a wildly different project with a focus on immersive climbing mechanics and all the harsh edges that come with them.

You can tell it is still made by the same creative minds, though, thanks to the incredible art direction and synthwave music, including collaborations with artists like The Toxic Avenger. I think this is the studio at its most experimental, and it feels great to play a game you cannot easily point to and say, “Oh, it is like this or that.” There are other climbing games on the market, sure, but Cairn features a far more intricate climbing system that begs to be appreciated on both an artistic and technical level.

The way Aava’s limbs react to the mountain’s many bumps and crevices is truly remarkable. Her limbs wobble when she is close to losing her balance, her breathing becomes labored, and it all happens without relying heavily on the UI. Fumito Ueda has said that controls are the conduit between players and the game, and Cairn’s unique control scheme carries that philosophy forward. You truly feel in control, something you can further enhance by manually controlling individual limbs if you choose to.

It is a game about climbing and climbing alone, at least on a mechanical level. Everything beyond the climbing mechanics, including stamina, hunger, and thirst management, is woven naturally into the core hook. There are sections where you can explore and catch your breath, but the final boss is not a dragon. It is a massive chunk of stone that you overcome through ascension, with each wall feeling like an individual fight.

This restraint and focus from The Game Bakers show confidence in their vision, and they did not need to add random combat mechanics to keep players engaged. I am looking at you, Death Stranding.

Excellence Is Not an Art, It’s Pure Habit

Yes, I am pulling out Furi quotes for this section because they really do apply to Cairn as well. You are bound to stumble, make the wrong step, lose your footing, and fall to your death over and over as you climb Mount Kami. It is meant to feel like an impossible climb, and the game does not shy away from making its scale unknown to you. It is an entire body of climates, terrains, and dangerous surprises that feel more alien the higher you climb.

But it is not impossible, and Aava knows this. Despite her frustration and willingness to sacrifice her body in the process, she is well equipped for the task, and that deadly confidence is essential. She will scream, grunt, and even cry out as you struggle to learn the intricacies of precise climbing, but it all leads to something special. The higher you climb, the more familiar you become with Aava’s true abilities, and it begins to feel as though you are with her on this ascent.

Challenge and overcoming it is not a novel idea, but how a game handles that challenge without frustrating players is what encourages them to try again. Cairn is a gameplay-first experience, and it can feel incredibly difficult if you are not willing to approach it with the intent to learn.

It takes time to become comfortable with its limb system, and the inclusion of an optional permadeath mode shows that the developers trust players enough to master its mechanics and attempt this seemingly impossible climb while fully aware of the consequences of any major mistake.

All of this unfolds without an NPC constantly shouting hints at you. While Aava does meet other characters throughout her journey, learns about the climbers who came before her, who contribute to her growth as a mountaineer, the most intimate moments on the mountain are hers alone.

Cairn is out now on PC and PS5.