"Cairn": Climbing tour into the self
The Game Bakers sends players on a merciless climbing tour in the survival adventure "Cairn". Hard, beautiful, and quite melancholic.
(Image: The Game Bakers)
In the survival climbing adventure “Cairn,” a mountain ascent becomes a journey into the self for the protagonist. Every step is a painful reminder of the past, every mistake a gamble with death. The title “Cairn” refers to small stone piles, which serve as both trail markers and memorials. Visually designed by French comic artist Mathieu Bablet, it is not only a test for the main character but also for the players, who despair in frustration at times.
The mountain is calling!
Sometime in the near future: There it stands, Kami. Mountain climber Aava has always dreamed of climbing this mountain. Hardly any of her colleagues have succeeded; many have given up, others have disappeared forever on the snowy rock faces. Now it's finally supposed to happen. Aava sets off with her Climbot and not only gets to know her limits but also the secrets of the mountain.
„Cairn“ angespielt (5 Bilder)
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)“Cairn” is a climbing adventure where players not only have to scramble from one small ledge to the next but also take care of hunger, cold, and injuries. In about 10 to 15 hours of gameplay, they have to watch out for storms and avalanches and even avoid a stubborn mountain goat. Rest is taken in the bivouac, and game progress is saved. Our little mechanical buddy Climbot composts excess goods.
Climbing is kept simple at first glance. In a wide shot, players choose a suitable route and get started – there is rarely one right way. Arms and legs are selected directly from the third-person perspective and positioned on the rock face. Since stamina decreases with every movement, players should drill a climbing hook into the wall in time to rest a little. Resource management is already important here, as the hooks are rationed.
Curiosity meets frustration
Those who don't head directly for the summit will find useful items. Besides food left behind by Aava's predecessors, there are also more robust hooks and more chalk for the hands. It gets mysterious when Aava encounters the remains of a mountain people. Through messages and diary entries, she experiences the story of a failed settlement.
She also meets people on her journey. A young mountaineer who followed his great idol Aava and quickly struggles with self-doubt; an old hermit who has forgotten her name; and a legendary mountaineer who grants other climbers their last mercy just before the summit. These moments of peace and contemplation contrast with the unforgiving climbing tour.
Even on the normal difficulty level, “Alpinist,” this adventure is a great challenge. Exhaustion or pain gnaws at the nerves. Often the body obscures a life-saving rock crevice. One wrong grip and Aava's body starts to tremble; the screen darkens – fall. Again, it starts from the last bivouac.
Since Aava is controlled like a puppet, the adventure sometimes leads to absurd climbing acrobatics. Each limb can be bent seemingly endlessly, so Aava might even lead her leg almost to her opposite ear. It looks funny, but it doesn't fit the claim of realism and the melancholic story at all. It is imprecise and vague anyway and makes precise control over the limbs difficult.
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This is frustrating because the in-game feedback is missing. Why can I access this here and not there? How strong is the hold? Real mountaineers see this and can assess the danger, but “Cairn” leaves players in the lurch. If you don't want to throw your gamepad against the wall out of frustration constantly, you should activate the assist mode. This provides unlimited self-drilling hooks, no hassle with hunger and cold, a rewind function, and automatic saving as soon as Aava touches the ground – all adjustable individually.
Is the frustration part of the concept? Similar to the indie hit “Celeste,” the game mechanics reflect the protagonist's emotional state. Don't give up, keep going, and every success becomes a triumph over one's own fear of failure. In radio conversations with her friend, it becomes clear how much Aava has shed her hypocritical social protective shell. All of this leads to at least two different endings in the end – one is melancholic, the other resembles a psychedelic drug trip.
Conclusion
Even after the end credits have rolled, “Cairn” remains a mystery. On the one hand, it is a beautifully animated journey into the self of a complex protagonist, on the other hand, a brutally difficult climbing tour that suffers a crash landing primarily due to underdeveloped game mechanics and imprecise control.
“Cairn” is for players who can live with these rough edges. Those for whom frustration is a foreign word or who want to circumvent the unfair game mechanics with the built-in assist mode. In any case, it is an unusual, in its own way fascinating survival trip that will remain in memory for a long time due to its visuals.
“Cairn” will be released on January 29, 2026, for Windows and PS5. It costs approx. €30. USK not rated. For our review, we reached the summit of Kami with the Windows version.
(mma)
