I’ve always had a deep love for any game that pushes the boat out when it comes to traversal mechanics. It’s why Marvel’s Spider-Man was so captivating, it’s why a PlayStation boy like myself somehow found myself adoring Sunset Overdrive, and it’s why I still have a weird soft spot for Forspoken.
Cairn is another game in this wheelhouse. A game that completes the eclectic trilogy of Game Baker’s games, and offers players a simple A to B quest. See the big mountain in front of you and climb that sucker.
However, due to this game’s Bennett Foddy-esque tendencies and surprisingly solid survival spine, it’s a lot easier said than done. Making the experience all the better for it.
It’s a game that I’ve been hotly anticipating for a long time, and my expectations were, in complete truth, irrational. Yet, somehow, Cairn has managed to overcome the odds and meet those expectations.
There’s Always Gonna Be Another Mountain
So, with the low hanging fruit that was that Hannah Montana reference plucked from the tree, we can begin our ascent.
For those new to the Game Bakers’ weird and wonderful assortment of games, Cairn is yet another very experimental and unique venture that sees you play as Aava, an alpine adventurer set to climb Kami, a truly imposing mountain chocked full of perilous pitfalls.
Naturally, gameplay plays a vital role in delivering a harrowing but rewarding climb. But, while you come for the mechanics, you’ll stay for the immaculate vibes that this game offers.
While the visuals are far from the point of true life realism, the game still looks visually outstanding, offering moments of calm and serenity accompanied by breathtaking views. But equally, the game has the ability to humble the player as it molds a hostile, ever-changing environment around you.
Whether it’s a the subtle score, the ambient noise of the mountain, the dynamic weather, or the wildlife that call Kami home, there’s always something that serves to make the mountain feel alive. Yet somehow, the game retains this oppressive feel that only comes with such a solitary task as climbing this mountain is.
Adapting To Vertical Life
I’ve held off as long as I can, and I need to mention a little game called Jusant. A fellow mountain climbing endeavour that I loved. It too offered unique climbing mechanics, and a focus on actual mountaineering rather than just scaling a sheer rock face like Link in Breath of the Wild.
However, one thing it lacked, in my opinion was a grounded and engaging story of Troglodyte culture. Something that Cairn does fantastically, while also weaving in a personal narrative built around Aava, our stubborn, emotionally represented protagonist.
On one hand, you have Aava’s story, mostly told through ignored messages via her climb bot, the occasional ramblings of a mad woman as she talks to herself, and selective cut scenes that hit hard thanks to their scarcity.
But then, on the other, you have excellent environmental storytelling of the settlements and the society left behind on the mountain. However, this is something that can only be truly absorbed and understood through thorough exploration, as those one with eyes for the summit will miss this entirely.
It’s an approach I love. Give those that just want to climb the freedom to do so. But equally, reward avid explorers with nuggets of lore, and unique encounters with bespoke rewards.
It’s a game that explores the themes of loneliness, companionship, and what it means to live a life to the fullest incredibly well. So, if you were on the fence thinking this was just some aggressively difficult Bennett Foddy climber with no substance, it’s time to hop off that fence.
Kami-Hame-Ha!
Everyone, give me your strength so I can climb this mountain and finish this review. I promise, no more self-indulgent references, but that one was right there for the taking.
This game, at least in my eyes, is the perfect middle ground between an outlandish and creative platformer and an obscenely punishing endless climber game.
As I eldued to earlier, while the game looks fantastic, offers immaculate vibes and has a compelling story, the gameplay is still the star of the show here.
We have seen games that have implemented authentic mountain climbing and individual limb control. Such as Grow Home, or the aforementioned Jusant. However, none have done it in as phenomenal fashion as Cairn.
This game, at least in my eyes, is the perfect middle ground between an outlandish and creative platformer and an obscenely punishing, endless climber game. Offering easy modes, assists, and generally more tools in your platforming toolbelt to get from A to B. But equally, providing one of the most gruelling and unrelenting platforming challenges you’ll come across.
Even at its easiest, it requires players to lock in and respect the mountain. Plus, unlike other games in this bracket, like Only Up or Getting Over It, every mistake feels like something you can own. Mistakes that you made, rather than cheap falls, you could have done little to prevent.
Go Your Own Way
Another theme of Cairn’s story I forgot to mention is freedom. The ability to get away from it all, carve your own path, and through gritted teeth, battle to ascend. I had initially worried that, despite the truly groundbreaking mechanics, the core experience might fall flat as everyone’s rise to the top would feel more or less the same.
However, having completed my climb, I know firsthand that not one person’s climb will mirror another, and that’s because of the smart map design that keeps players penned in, but free to go anywhere they choose within a set space.
Without exaggeration, there are infinite ways that you can tackle Kami, and that’s down to the depth of the physics engine on board and how climbing works, offering an abundance of routes. Meaning that meticulous planning, scouting and mindful movement all pay dividends.
While Cairn does a lot of things well, it does one thing masterfully well, and that’s climbing. The thing that occupies 90% of your time in-game. You truly get lost in the minutia of footholds, pitons, and routing, to the point that you look up and hours have passed, yet all you’ve been doing is one limb after another, slowly plotting your path up a mountain.
On paper, it’s probably about as tedious as it gets. Yet, in practice, it’s one of the most engrossing, addictive, and rewarding things I’ve ever had the joy of experiencing in gaming. The game is a mountaineer, boulderer, or free climber’s dream. It’s about as authentic as it gets, and I would wager that this niche appeal might just attract a wide audience indeed.
Alpine? More Like Al-Pain
Through the task of clambering up the mountain alone, you have more than enough certain death scenarios to worry about. But, to add to your burden, Cairn doesn’t stop there, as on top of gravity, you’ll have hunger, thirst, and temperature to worry about.
The survival system in the most traditional sense isn’t that far removed from the standard survival set menu. You need to cook food to stave off hunger. You’ll need to find natural water sources to keep hydrated, and you’ll need a hearty hot thermos of tea to keep warm.
However, thanks to the scarcity of resources and the difficulty you’ll go through to simply explore the mountain in the hope of finding them. It ends up feeling rather unique. Especially as you get toward the summit, where you’re one of the few who have ever dared set foot.
The food, water, warmth trio is the center of your survival experience. But you’ll also enjoy some other unique, clever mechanics. A personal favorite being the inventory system that has you fill a backpack that you can shake around to create more room to stuff extra goodies in. Think of it like Resident Evil’s grid-based organisation. But instead, the grid is removed, and everything is all loosey-goosey.
It’s little secondary systems like this that synergize beautifully with the core climbing experience, making the player feel like they are defying the odds, and have, in the space of a few hours, become a rock climbing veteran. I know words like ‘Bivouac’ and ‘Piton’ now. Everest, here I come.
A Few Slippery Footholds
If you haven’t gathered by now, i’m a huge fan of almost everything that Cairn does. It’s wholly unique and is perhaps the best possible version of what it attempts to be. It means that I have struggled to find just about anything to be critical of.
However, there are some small gripes that do stop this game short of being a perfect ten in my eyes. Almost all of which tied to the same physics and climbing mechanics that I gushed with praise about. All relatively minor, but all add up to slightly tarnish want is an excellent game. A slip on a handhold rather than a tumble off the rocks, if you will.
Firstly, as with any experimental game such as this, there are some technical cracks that rear their head from time to time. While there were no hard crashes, I did witness a lot of stutters, a lot of wild clipping from the climb bot companion, and some laughable falls.
Second, I did have a minor issue with the lack of HUD within the game, mainly pertaining to the stamina bar. As the stamina is primarily linked to Aava’s breathing. On one hand, I love the diagetic approach that removes the HUD, but on the other, I would really love to know when my gal is about to plummet to her death if she so much as twitches.
Then thirdly, I hate to flash my membership card for the ‘it’s too hard brigade’. But, I know that the huge difficulty spike the game presents in the last 3-4 hours or so will be about as hard to stomach as some Tourist Trap Noodles for some.
But, all in all, aside from a minor lack of immersion and the occasional cheap fall, Cairn does next to nothing wrong. Much like ones approach to this game, it’s meticulous, all-emcompassing, and gruelling. But, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Closing Comments:
“Cairn is one of the most outlandish and experimental Platformers in recent memory, and that big swing pays off. The deep and nuanced climbing mechanics are engrossing and addictive to engage with, and the supplementary survival angle adds more stakes to this already gruelling ascent. Some may not click with the methodical traversal, but all in all, Cairn is the best possible version of what it attempts to be. An authentic mountaineering epic that pulls no punches.”
"Cairn is one of the most outlandish and experimental Platformers in recent memory, and that big swing pays off. The deep and nuanced climbing mechanics are engrossing and addictive to engage with, and the supplementary survival angle adds more stakes to this already gruelling ascent. Some may not click with the methodical traversal, but all in all, Cairn is the best possible version of what it attempts to be. An authentic mountaineering epic that pulls no punches."
Pros
- Amazing Atmospheric World Worth Exploring
- Groundbreaking Climbing Mechanics
- A Surprisingly Compelling Story
Cons
- Difficulty Won't Suit Everyone (Even With Assists)
- Technical Issues Can Break Immersion
- Has irritating 'Getting Over It' DNA
