Cairn Review: Obsession and Awe in a Mountain-Climbing Masterpiece
The Game Bakers' latest release, Cairn, arrives on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox as a punishing yet beautiful survival game that redefines digital mountaineering. This intimate test of endurance, fixation, and emotional resolve pushes players to their limits, promising an experience that might leave you in tears by the conclusion.
The Allure of the Impossible Climb
Mountaineers and climbers, particularly those who embrace free-solo ascents, represent humanity's most fascinating maniacs. These single-minded, daring individuals willingly undertake profoundly optional life-endangering feats that simultaneously compel and appall observers. Figures like Alex Honnold capture public imagination, yet even with safety equipment, a single wrong move can mean catastrophe in an activity that places humans at nature's full mercy.
Cairn explores precisely what kind of person looks at a towering cliff face or wind-whipped ice wall and thinks, "I bet I can get up there." The game's protagonist, Aava, embodies this mentality as a champion climber who has conquered numerous summits yet finds herself unable to walk away from the ultimate challenge.
Scaling the Unconquered Peak
Before Aava stands Mount Kami, an ice-tipped Himalayan-style peak that has never been successfully climbed. This mountain once hosted a tribe whose remnants players discover while pulling themselves up each section, though now Aava climbs in profound isolation. Players control Aava's limbs directly, moving her hands and feet toward imperfections in the rock, jamming fingers into cracks and positioning toes on tiny ledges. Through this intimate control scheme, players gradually learn to read the mountain as Aava would, developing an almost instinctual understanding of the vertical landscape.
Heart-Racing Peril Without Real Danger
Despite the absence of actual physical risk, Cairn masterfully induces physiological responses that mirror real climbing anxiety. When Aava's limbs begin shaking and her breathing becomes urgent, players immediately recognize she's insecure on the cliff face. This signals the need to quickly reposition her feet or take calculated risks by screwing in pitons and clipping safety lines before she loses grip entirely.
The game's limited piton supply creates constant tension, forcing conservation of these life-saving implements. During one particularly harrowing sequence, after climbing all night up a bare rock face with no pitons remaining and no visible respite, players must execute a ten-minute flawless ascent toward a distant cave. The desperation that sets in during such moments becomes palpable, with near-misses at final ledges requiring genuine recovery breaks before continuing.
A Comprehensive Survival Experience
Beyond the immediate climbing mechanics, Cairn functions as a comprehensive survival simulation. Players must manage Aava's backpack through careful scavenging and foraging while desperately seeking water sources (pro tip: retain every discovered bottle). The meticulous process of bandaging Aava's ruined fingers to preserve grip strength during rare rest moments adds another layer of physical deterioration management.
This constant danger and suffering makes every accomplishment profoundly meaningful. The intoxicating relief of discovering safe points where Aava can finally pitch her tent creates emotional peaks that mirror the physical summits she pursues.
Questioning the Obsession
As hours accumulate and mountain conditions deteriorate, Aava's obsession with conquering Kami transforms from impossibly brave to potentially self-destructive. The game cleverly invites players to question both why she pursues this goal and why they themselves continue facilitating it. Particularly toward the conclusion, Cairn presents formidable challenges, though optional assists can mitigate some pitilessness for those preferring a less brutal experience.
Certain sections feature repeated failures as players struggle to identify viable routes while managing Aava's parched and starving condition. Hanging from safety ropes for the fifteenth consecutive attempt generates immense personal frustration, amplified by Aava's vocal disappointment whenever players fumble holds. The protagonist's stubborn determination proves contagious, often preventing logical breaks that might refresh both player and character.
The True Cost of Ascent
Ultimately, Cairn reveals itself as less about climbing and nature than about exploring what it takes to become someone like Aava—and the substantial personal cost involved. The game's conclusion delivers emotional devastation that left this reviewer crying on the sofa at one in the morning, a testament to the narrative's powerful impact.
Throughout the ascent, numerous moments of breathtaking beauty and sheer terror create quiet awe that proves directly proportional to the hardship endured. Cairn launches on January 29th, offering players an unforgettable journey into obsession, suffering, and transcendence that redefines what climbing games can achieve emotionally and mechanically.
