I’m an awful rock climber. Being scared of heights probably doesn’t help. But when I’ve tried it, I’ve loved the slow, methodical work of moving from one ledge to the next. It reminds me a lot of why I love running; in both sports, you achieve goals that seem insurmountable by taking them one step at a time. Cairn, a new game from The Game Bakers, is one of the few games I’ve played that truly captures that feeling.
You play as Aava, a famous climber obsessed with summiting a mountain called Kami. You climb by moving all four of Aava’s limbs, one by one, to find safe cracks, bumps, and ledges to let you inch your way higher, all while managing tools and resources carried in your backpack. Climbing games are becoming something of a trend, but Cairn is different from Jusant, where you just control the character’s hands, or Baby Steps, a sillier game where you just control the character’s feet.
It’s been a decade since my short-lived membership at a rock-climbing gym, but Cairn’s mechanics brought back all sorts of memories of my time scaling the walls, especially the importance of good footwork. Based on my amateur experience, it’s a great rock-climbing simulator. By setting spikes into the walls, you can make spots where your rope will catch you if you slip off the mountain face. A robot companion picks up the spikes when you reach safety so you can use them again. By using chalk, you get a temporary boost to your grip. With food and drink, you’ll help keep yourself fed, hydrated, and warm.
Progress can be grueling. I was almost always on edge as I methodically searched for the next place to put Aava’s hand or foot. Slipping comes at a cost; you’ll fall to your last spike or to the ground, and depending on how far down those are, it could mean another long climb, hitting yourself against the wall, or, in the worst case, death. Rain, wind, snow, and ice make things even more difficult.
But it’s also peaceful, in a way. I was incredibly focused while playing, and more than once, I caught myself holding my Steam Deck right up to my nose as I hunted for the next step of my climb. I was often completely in the zone. As I journeyed, I even started to internalize Aava’s quest as my own. When she quipped about a good grip, I would be elated that I had a brief moment of safety. When she was precariously close to falling, her breath would speed up in panic, and my stress levels would spike, too. When she would fall, she often shouted in frustration, usually mirroring how I felt about the situation.
Image: The Game Bakers
Aava will meet other people during her journey and hear from people who care for her, and they provide companionship during what’s largely a solo quest. But sometimes, she’s also rude to them or will alienate and ignore those who care for her. Aava even takes out her anger on her robot buddy. Still, I could relate. Like Aava, I also just wanted to climb the damn mountain, and usually, I didn’t want anything to get in my way.
I am predisposed to like Cairn: I love long runs, and to me, there are fewer things more satisfying than the feeling of overcoming a seemingly insurmountable obstacle one step at a time. I’ve fallen out of running lately, and I’ve missed it. Cairn reminded me what’s possible when you focus just on the next thing in front of you — and of the complex feelings that come with persevering through the quest.
Cairn is available now for PC and PS5.
