Cairn Review – Rise From Ruin

Why do we fall?” asked a legendary actor in one of the most acclaimed superhero films of all time. Cairn, The Game Bakers’ latest title after Furi and Haven, elicited a different question during the many times that I fell. Why do I climb?

It’s a sentiment that resonates all the more considering the situation that Aava, the protagonist, is in. She has no shortage of friends or people cheering her on; no lack of interests to keep her occupied. Yet, she climbs Mount Kami, which no human has ever conquered and lived to tell the tale. Why?

Probably because it’s there, and that only scratches the surface of why Cairn is so endearing.

A video game focused primarily on climbing isn’t necessarily a new concept. Jusant is perhaps one of the better examples, but there have also been efforts like Celeste, a 2D platformer where the journey is as much an emotional rollercoaster as the summit.

"Being able to take a birdseye view and examine each crevice, knowing immediately where problems would arise, getting the brilliant idea to rappel down a spot and move across and up before encountering a new problem – it’s a constant feedback loop that’s equal parts challenging and fulfilling."

Unlike those, however, Cairn is a more grounded climbing game. Each of Aava’s four limbs must be controlled one at a time while climbing and anchored onto a ledge, outcrop or crevice. There’s a fair degree of movement involved, which skirts a fine line between executing what should be impossible maneuvers in real life unless you’re a professional climber and outright ignoring how joints should work. Regardless, each move is a tense decision – move too fast, and you risk slipping on a rock face that’s smoother than most. Move too slow and Aava’s stamina will deplete. Or her limbs will become shaky, and she’ll fall.

And hoo boy, are the falls painful beyond just reducing your health. Rather than forcing a climb back up, you respawn back at that point, at least on Alpinist difficulty. But that’s if you survive the fall. Die – and that percentage chance only goes up the higher you climb – and it’s back to the last save point. All that progress that you made, wiped away because you thought it was laying down a piton and off belaying to regain all that stamina was feasible when it clearly wasn’t. It’s not nearly as soul-crushing as something like, say, Getting Over It, but losing half of an hour of progress that you won’t get back still hurts.

But here’s the thing: I like it. I enjoy the control that Cairn gives me, whether it’s automatically selecting the best limb to control next or letting me freely select because I think the left and right legs should clearly stay in a single spot. It’s so simple yet so intuitive that I’m surprised it hasn’t been done before.

I also like the abject freedom allowed in selecting a climbing route. Do I take what appears to be the smarter route, or try to climb up beneath the waterfall, knowing that water makes surfaces more slippery? What’s hiding in that alcove above? Do I follow the cables dangling overhead or the nice little trail that requires jumping a small chasm?

Being able to take a birdseye view and examine each crevice, knowing immediately where problems would arise, getting the brilliant idea to rappel down a spot and move across and up before encountering a new problem – it’s a constant feedback loop that’s equal parts challenging and fulfilling. And also marginally demoralizing when things go wrong, like twisting a piton rather than perfectly timing its placement, which means Climb Bot is bringing back scraps. Beyond the amount of control is the feeling, as you scrape across surfaces, paying close attention to Aava’s breathing to know when it’s time to restore some stamina.

"It’s equal parts zen-like and death-defying, but also like I’m solving one of several dozen pieces of a puzzle that is climbing Mount Kami. Best of all is the fact that there are several other ways to do it (and an even tougher difficulty)."

Of course, there’s plenty of romanticism to it all. Nights spent in the bivouac with nothing but the cold wind (and the ever-reliable Climb Bot, of course) and a hot meal. Waking up to the gorgeous sunrise, or just admiring the distance achieved thus far. Looking up to see an impromptu waterfall, perfect for refilling water. Small critters dashing away. Discovering a memorial to fallen climbers and paying respects. It’s meditative. Calming.

Except when it isn’t, because if Mount Kami wants anything, it’s to make sure you never make it and die trying. Harsh weather can creep up on you as easily as the nighttime, and while cranking up the brightness made it much easier to surmount walls in the early hours, rainfall creating slick surfaces is no joke. Not to mention the other survival elements, because on top of managing Aava’s hunger and thirst, you also need to deal with the cold.

Food helps, and cooking it more so, whether you’re combining flowers and water into…some concoction, or boiling noodles, especially since they confer buffs. But the kicker is that you shouldn’t cook too much at a time, because they all have time limits. Go all in on a single journey, unsure whether you’ll find more resources for future meals? Or play it safe, rationing some along the way, testing the different routes until you find the one that doesn’t hate you? There’s also space in your backpack to account for, though Climb Bot is also good at turning compost, like plastic wrapping and spoilage, into chalk for climbing. Similarly, those piton scraps can be used to make new pitons, assuming you have enough. Take time to check your fingers as well and tape them when necessary.

So as straightforward as the gameplay loop may seem, Cairn is anything but. Each wall doesn’t immediately give the impression that it could be your last, but when you’re in the zone, monitoring Aava’s condition, knowing the right times to take a break, and judging the correct places to climb until you finally succeed, it feels good. It’s equal parts zen-like and death-defying, but also like I’m solving one of several dozen pieces of a puzzle that is climbing Mount Kami. Best of all is the fact that there are several other ways to do it (and an even tougher difficulty).

"The incredible controls and responsiveness, the sheer freedom to choose my route, the survival elements, and just the sheer wonder of camping on the side of a mountain drew me in and never let go. Until the next drop, of course."

However, it’s somewhat of a shame that Cairn’s frame rate on PS5 isn’t exactly stable, especially given the superb art direction and music (sporadic as it may be). Often hovering around 30 frames per second, it can sometimes jump up to 60 when camping or during some cutscenes. There’s definitely some variance while actually climbing, which can feel distracting, even if there aren’t any massive frame drops. And while I joked about the impossible movements that Aava is capable of, some of the animations and limbs slightly clipping through surfaces took me out of the experience. Yes, it’s goofy and doesn’t really impact the gameplay, but still. There are also some points where Climb Bot takes its sweet time to return with my Pitons, which is more curious than anything.

If you enjoyed Jusant, then I would definitely recommend Cairn. It lacks the post-apocalyptic trappings, but there is a unique magic to it, even if the climbing is much less forgiving and encourages more experimentation. For everyone else, it’s a challenging experience – one that doesn’t celebrate knocking you down so much as offer plenty of ways for you to fall. Getting back up is easy – it’s the decision to continue climbing that could wear on some. And yet, the incredible controls and responsiveness, the sheer freedom to choose my route, the survival elements, and just the sheer wonder of camping on the side of a mountain drew me in and never let go. Until the next drop, of course.

This game was reviewed on PS5.