The Game Bakers are one of those indie developers that I will always look forward to what’s coming next from them. It all started off in 2016 with the fantastic “1-Hit Kill Boss Rush” game Furi, which was tough, stylish and unique at the time. Since then, every game The Game Bakers have put out has offered something vastly different, from their smaller Squids Odyssey to their captivating Haven. Their latest game asks one simple question: What if Death Stranding was about heights, not distance? This is Cairn.

 

Story 

Mount Kami, the world’s deadliest mountain. Many have tried to conquer but failed, either returning down or being consumed by the mountain itself. Not a single person has reached the very peak. You play as Aava, a professional climber with a strong ambition: to be the first person to make it to the summit, but at what cost? 

Aava will receive regular messages from her friends and family that will motivate her to keep going. And find leftover messages from previous expeditions up Mount Kami, some of which were abandoned partway up, whilst others met unfortunate ends. Along the way, occasionally encounter fellow climbers who have their own reasons to be on Mount Kami; some do it for the thrill of the game, whilst others are in it for the fame and money.

Overall, the story stays simple as you delve into Aava’s motivations, and deals with themes of isolation and when one’s passion becomes an obsession. Despite a slow start and characters I initially didn’t like much, I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed the story, especially in the second half, when it’s clear a lot of heart and soul went into something that is surprisingly emotional. 

 

Gameplay 

Cairn is really split into two parts that really mesh well together. The first is, of course, the climbing. You will spend a good chunk of the game free climbing the side of Mount Kami. And for good measure survival simulation that will test your skills and endurance together. 

In many ways, it feels like Dontnod’s Jusant; they share many ideas, but Cairn takes it to the next level by removing much of the handholding for something much more real. The Game Bakers consulted real climbing professionals to create a grounded and realistic climbing simulation. Climbing is simple and intuitive, yet there’s a lot of nuance to consider as you control the positioning of each limb every step of the way. 

Just about every surface is climbable as you grip onto rock edges and find little footholds for Aava to position herself. You will be scanning the environment for every nook, crack or imperfection in the mountain surface that you can use to leverage yourself and climb higher. Though it’s not that simple, you will need to focus on positioning and weight distribution. Put too much weight on a single hand or leg, and it will start to tremble as it loses stamina. Trembling more and more until you finally fall off. Cairn does a solid enough job of selecting the right limb you need to move next, but by holding the right bumper, you can manually select which limb to move next for more precise and controlled movements. Really handy when climbing over underhangs or around ledges. 

To help out, Aava can place Pitons on the mountain surface that provide a stable platform for her to rest for a while. It’s absolutely critical that you use these when you can to prevent plummeting to your death. See a potentially difficult path or need to scale back down, place a piton and use the rope for a safe path. It opens so much room for exploration. And if you do fall, that rope can be used to climb back up as you dangle off the edge. Many intense moments had Aava trembling and struggling to keep a grip on the mountain. In a last-ditch effort, I decided to plant a Piton and fell just as I managed to hook the rope into the piton. As I sat there dangling off the mountain, I let out a sigh of relief. 

It can, however, be awkward dealing with complex terrain. Resting midclimb and refreshing stamina seems to be a little inconsistent, and there are a few moments in the story where it just forces you to waste resources. I found disembarking from a climb awkward at times, as did the act of grabbing a ledge and pulling forward. Even if you are on solid ground. These issues are relatively minor, and the game does have some protection against launching off, but it can still feel incredibly awkward.

Then there are some survival elements to mix into the experience as well. You will need to pay attention to Aava’s hunger and thirst meters, which are vital to ensuring she reaches the top. Regularly topping up with water and food. The survival mechanics here aren’t overly harsh, with food and water supplies being somewhat regular. If you play smart and don’t just eat every resource you come across, Cairn is rather forgiving here. At save points scattered around, you can pitch a tent to cook food, tend to your wounds and repair any damaged pitons. 

As you climb further up, you will have more to deal with and worry about. Weather is a major component of Cairn, and rain, snow and thunderstorms all make an appearance. The colder air will drain your stamina much more quickly and could kill you with ease. So cooking hot meals and drinks is crucial to survival. Refilling your meters and providing useful buffs when you mix certain ingredients. Realising I had a particularly long and potentially brutal stretch to get through, and that it was approaching night, I took the opportunity to scavenge the area for whatever supplies I could find, cook meals, reapply bandages, and plan my route so that in the morning I knew exactly what to do. Planning ahead makes Cairn much more manageable. 

The one thing that surprised me is how open this mountain is. There’s no predetermined path you have to take, but many ways you can go. Occasionally, you will stumble into camps from previous expeditioners or into caves that take you inside the mountain. These will often provide handy survival supplies, such as food, herbs, or climbing gear, along with maps highlighting climbing routes that lead to even more gear. Not only do these little slices of side content provide interesting stories that develop the history of Mount Kami and its residents, but they also take you on vastly different routes up one side of the mountain. 

I’ll stop there with that, though; I don’t want to spoil the surprises that Cairn has to offer. Some of which are incredibly well hidden and will require you to pay close attention to the environment and various items you will discover on the way up. All I will say is that you will most likely be surprised by some of the things you find. And I’d be doubtful if you find everything in a single playthrough unless you do an extensive amount of backtracking. This is definitely a game with strong replay value that will require a second or even third playthrough.

And if you are up for a challenge, the game’s “free solo” mode will provide a thrilling one. Removing your ropes, pitons, and an extremely limited backpack, which forces you to climb Mount Kami without safety nets. If you fall, it’s game over. I haven’t had the chance to conquer this mode during the review period, but I absolutely plan to come back for it. As for playtime, Cairn took me about 15 hours to complete, with a few nasty falls that set me back and a lot of exploration that led me down dangerous backtracking routes. I’m already halfway up on my second playthrough. 

As a whole, Cairn surprised me in the best of ways. A challenging yet relaxing survival climbing simulation that manages to be equal parts punishing and serene. Climbing Mount Kami has been a thrilling experience. I can’t wait to come back to it and take different routes. Though I wish some of the late-game challenges matched up to some of the mid-game ones. And that more unlocks would make repeated climbs feel even fresher. Hopefully, some post-patches can really bring this game to the next level because I adore everything that’s there already.

 

Graphics 

I have to admit, it took me a little while to appreciate the visual direction of Cairn’s cel-shaded appearance. But once I did, I was enthralled by the world’s beauty. From the first moment I made it to a peak just as the sun began to set, I took in the sights every time. Every peak, every campsite, I would take a moment to take a picture. Cairn’s natural beauty often shines through in spectacular moments that grow more spectacular with each climb. 

It’s not perfect, though, and understandably, some issues do show up. With the complex terrain comes extensive clipping issues and lower detail in some surfaces, which can give the game a slightly rough appearance at times. Aava can get into situations so unnatural that the animation engine struggles to decide what to do next. It can look a little goofy. But it’s hard to ignore that when Cairn puts its best foot forward, it can genuinely be jaw-dropping

As you can see from my screenshots, Cairn supports full ultrawide resolution (at least at 21:9) with black bars that appear only during cutscenes, and the game looks great. Performance is mostly solid, though there are some minor stutters when transitioning to new areas that show up after longer climbs. We also have Steam Deck verification at launch, and in my brief testing, it’s a playable but underwhelming effort. Defaulting to the lowest setting at 800p resolution, Cairn struggles to hit and maintain 40 fps at the refresh rate. It’s still playable, but don’t expect a smooth experience, especially in the later areas. 

We also have a fantastic soundtrack from a variety of artists. The Toxic Avenger, one of The Game Bakers’ long-time collaborators, has returned to work on the soundtrack for Cairn as well. His synthwave soundtrack shouldn’t fit in as well as it does here. On top of this, Martin Stig Anderson (Control, Limbo, and Inside) provides much of the game’s more sombre tones, which really push each moment to the next peak. It’s a wonderfully crafted soundtrack. 

Meanwhile, the soundscape on the mountain itself was incredible. From the wind pushing past Aava or the sounds of thunder crashing around and reverberating whilst in the cave, the sound design creates a sense of dread as the weather cycles erratically, often bordering on a straight-up horror game. There are a lot of incredible things going on with the sound, and you absolutely need to play with headphones. Voice acting is also pretty solid; able to hit some emotional peaks when the writing demands it. 

 

Verdict

Cairn is equal parts beautiful and relaxing, yet also intense and challenging. The Game Bakers have completed the mountainous task of creating a fully climbable environment to explore, and deliver what is arguably their most polished and engaging experience yet. Cairn is a unique and heartfelt game that had me hooked from beginning to end. Once you start the climb up Mount Kami, you won’t want to put it down. 

Graphics: 8.0 A few rough edges here and there, but Cairn‘s distinctive approach to cel-shading visuals looks absolutely astonishing for the most part.	Gameplay: 9.0 Intuitive climbing mechanics make Cairn much easier to pick up and play than anyone could have initially imagined.
Sound: 10 An epic soundtrack that elevates every moment of the game with an already fantastic sound design.	Fun Factor: 9.0 Cairn surprised me in delivering a tense and thrilling climbing simulator in which I really struggled to put down.
Final Verdict: 9.0

Cairn is available now on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox X|S. 

Reviewed on PC with an RTX 4070, Ryzen 7 7800X3D and 32GB RAM. Tested on Steam Deck OLED. 

A copy of Cairn was provided by the publisher.