Cairn, A High Altitude And Humble Game Review

Until recently, I viewed mountaineering only as a typical extreme sport. A physically demanding, adrenaline-filled activity that in an interesting way affects the psyche. However, reading the notes and thoughts of climbers themselves, it becomes clear that behind those ascents lies a completely different way of looking at risk. And it's not the classic pursuit of excitement; rather, during climbing, concentration, silence, and the tactic of correct placement are key, in order to recognize possible mistakes in time.

For us who view mountains from the foothills or stick to marked trails, it is difficult to truly feel the intensity and uncertainty that climbers experience, especially in films and documentaries. That is where Cairn comes in, a game that through its very gameplay wants to convey the lifestyle of climbers and allow us to experience it without life-threatening danger.

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How Cairn Redefines the Climbing Game Experience

In Cairn, we will not experience Mount Everest, on whose summit a crowd often forms like at a tourist attraction. Instead, we set out towards the fictional mountain Kami, a peak that no one has yet reached. The professional climber Aava lives for the ascent and all the consequences it brings with it. Her story does not revolve around fame, recognition, sponsors, or external circumstances, but around an inner need to reach the summit, regardless of the cost.

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As we move away from the mountain's base, Aava, via her robot assistant, receives voice messages from her friends and family, who recount their daily lives on the ground, their lives and small worries, but in doing so, they clearly show that they cannot fully understand her obsession and need to be right where she is. 

On her journey, she gradually discovers that she is not the first alpinist to have embarked on this expedition, and the ascent also leads her to encounters with unexpected fellow travelers, through whose conversations and views on life we slowly get to know the various reasons why people even decide to climb.

The mechanics and basic experience of climbing here do not rely on a known solution, but combine different ideas that we have seen over the years in other games. It is precisely in this combination of familiar concepts and their different application that the feeling of something fresh lies. Climbing in Cairn is not experienced as a routine, but as a process of mastering a skill without which there is no further progress.

No Path, Only Your Choices

Cairn may remind you of Jusant from 2023, which is understandable because those two games share a theme and focus on climbing. However, the difference in the approach of these two games becomes very quickly apparent. Here you do not control the character as a whole, but constantly think about the position of hands and feet, about where to place them and in what order to move them. Literally every part of the body has its own weight and role, because a wrongly placed hand or a poorly braced foot can throw you off balance. The very approach is more reminiscent of what games by Bennett Foddy do. 

Another important difference compared to Jusant is that in Cairn there is no predetermined path. It is up to you to choose where to start climbing and how. Although it is not an open world in the classic sense, the walls function as semi-open spaces in which there is almost no single correct path. From the very first step, it is clear that the game does not push you forward, but expects you to assess the terrain yourself and decide how to approach it.

The rocks are covered with small protrusions, cracks, and surfaces that at first glance appear decorative, but actually form the foundation of the entire gameplay system. Hands and feet must be consciously placed on these holds, similar to older Assassin's Creed games, only here there is no automatic sticking to the wall. The only small complaint here is that the game does not allow dynamic jumping from ledge to ledge while climbing, nor free running on the wall while connected by a rope, which would further increase the feeling of freedom and intensity of the ascent.

Why Route Choice in Cairn is a Puzzle

The most interesting part comes from the choice of route. There is almost always more than one way to the top, but that does not mean that the straight-line path is the best solution. In practice, this means that proximity can often deceive you. For instance, a flatter protrusion itself may be just a few meters above, only for the game to very quickly show how physically it simply cannot be reached so easily, but rather detours must be sought. There were several moments when I was convinced I had chosen a good route, only to realize later that there was an easier path or that I had to go back, losing up to half an hour in the process.

It is precisely in the constant planning that the greatest challenge lies, but also part of the attraction. Besides positioning limbs, climbing requires thinking several moves ahead, assessing safe places for rest, moments when the risk becomes too great, for instance due to slippery surfaces after rain, and deciding when it is wiser to change direction, even at the cost of additional effort.

To make things even more interesting, the entire experience is further deepened by survival mechanics. During the ascent, I had to keep track of hunger, thirst, cold, my life, exhaustion level, but also the condition of my own hands, where finger injuries can noticeably hinder every subsequent grip. To survive the journey to the summit, I often stopped to explore small passages and hidden places and save my adventure progress, came across interesting details like letters from former alpinists, maps, or practical items that I could use for the adventure.

How Cairn Creates Authentic Moments of Success

During the ascent, I had to keep track of hunger, thirst, cold, my life, exhaustion level, but also the condition of my own hands, where finger injuries can noticeably hinder every subsequent grip. Every so often I collected resources for food and drink, from flowers to snacks in bags and other necessities for easier climbing, where I carefully arranged them in my backpack to have space, while my small personal robot was at hand, carrying ropes and pitons.

At one point I was convinced that I had finally understood everything, that I was reading the terrain correctly and that there were no more surprises. It didn't take long for the mountain to disillusion me. After several wrong assumptions, I realized how I had relaxed too early and how much I actually still had to learn. It is precisely in those moments that the shift occurs, when you stop looking for quick solutions and accept the rhythm that the mountain imposes.

And when it finally falls into place, the feeling of success is so loud when you pull yourself onto a secure hold. In the end, you can pause, take a breath, and realize that you have completed another serious section of the ascent.

The Look and Feel

Cairn's visual style is based on clear lines and a strong contrast between characters and the environment, just like in comics. On the other hand, the background music is unobtrusive but knows how to emphasize tension when needed. The sounds of nature, and especially the gasps during and after climbing, are so realistic that you don't even have to look at the interface to understand the character's condition, especially while wearing our XP-Panther Cosmic Headset.

However, the experience did not run so smoothly, and I often had situations of minor slowdowns, but also large and sudden frame hitches. Besides that, a fair number of glitches in the limb animations themselves and their getting stuck in the rocks. Also, the physics were strange when I was climbing without facing the wall chest-first. 

The weight of the game itself was not as exhausting as I often struggled with the system that automatically suggests which hand or foot to place. Simply, that system would make a mistake and offer me the wrong option, so I had to manually choose which next limb of the body I would grab the rock with.

In Conclusion

The combination of adrenaline and physical strenuousness makes Cairn a unique game, because rarely does something so convincingly convey a realistic feeling of climbing and surviving weather conditions. Besides the classic mode, there is also a roguelike option that seriously tests skills. For those who find the experience too demanding, there are discrete assistances that turn off options for hunger and thirst or give options to go back, while independent climbing and thinking still remain necessary.

Cairn offers a huge space for exploration, where even after a minimum of 15 hours of play, I found only a small part of everything the mountain hides, and with each new ascent, I came across hidden details, items, and stories that encourage me to return to the game and continue exploring. Given the amount of content, the unique feeling of climbing, and the depth of experience, the price of 30€ on PS5 and PC seems more than justified, and Cairn definitely deserves the attention of anyone looking for something different from standard adventures or simulations.

Game Rating: 8.3/10.

 It delivers an exceptionally authentic and deep climbing/survival simulation with immense replay value, but technical issues like glitches, hitches, and a sometimes-unhelpful suggestion system hold it back from a higher score.

Age Recommendation: 14+

Recommended for ages 14 and up due to the game's high complexity, demanding strategic planning, survival mechanics, and themes of obsession and risk that require mature emotional comprehension.

Gemini AI Summary:

This text is a detailed review of the video game Cairn, which presents itself as a unique and realistic climbing simulation that focuses on strategic planning, risk assessment, and survival mechanics, rather than just adrenaline, but is partially marred by technical performance issues.