Cairn Reviews
Cairn would mean nothing without the journey, and like both the mountain you are challenging and the climb itself, it is an incredible one.
A brilliant climbing adventure that siphons the rage out of navigation puzzlers like Death Stranding and Baby Steps, resulting in something prickly, but warmly approachable.
There is beauty in Cairn's golden hour-soaked world.
Maybe it was just the entrancing physicality of Cairn's central climbing and survival mechanics. But at some point, whatever wall existed between myself and the game came down and I was there with Aava and she was with me.
Although it isn't perfect, what makes it special is the combination of all the different elements to make something that can be meaningful to almost anyone. In the end, the game asks the most important question of all: what is your summit?
Cairn is a phenomenal climbing game. There were times where I wanted to throw in the towel because of some minor animation hiccup, but, like Aava, I couldn’t stop. There’s this intriguing parallel at play here, one that I found myself thinking about in those moments where I needed to rest my sweaty palms and Aava needed to recharge her stamina. Neither of us could stop. We had to see it through to the end, in whatever form that took. By the time the credits rolled, I knew that Cairn would stick with me for a long time. This is a game you absolutely have to experience.
Cairn is a unique, slow, and surprisingly relaxing game where you occasionally lose your grip and fall to your death. There's a heartfelt story running through the ascent to the top of the mountain, survival elements as you manage limited resources, and accurate feeling climbing, but soaking in the gorgeous environments, making discoveries and mastering the climbing are a joy. Cairn is a unique game that stands out from all the rest.
Cairn accurately captures the thrill and intensity of scaling a mountain. Each tentative step communicates the danger of the climb, forcing you to constantly readjust and take calculated risks to succeed. Aava’s flexibility benefits the gameplay, though it can look awkward in execution. While the game’s visuals and overall design are wonderful, performance issues, such as regular framerate drops and odd bugs, occasionally hinder the experience. Even though there are a few kinks in the equipment, this is a great ascent for those seeking a truly unique adventure.
If a harsh climbing simulator is your thing, Cairn does a great job of providing you with the treacherous conditions of an ambitious mountain climb. It's an outstanding little game in respects to how strategy and perseverance can assist you in reaching your goals and ultimately the Mount Kami summit.
Cairn is a great climbing simulator, one that presents you with an entire mountain and complete freedom to traverse it as you please. Some light survival mechanics apply just enough pressure to push you forward, and the purposely slow pace encourages careful climbing and proper planning. Aava's expedition is simultaneously meditative and fraught with danger, with death just one slip away at all times. While we have some small reservations about the story, and the frame rate struggles to measure up to Mount Kami, those looking for a challenging, satisfying journey will find Cairn a unique adventure to conquer.
Cairn is a mixed bag that I don't think will be for everyone. Persevering through a difficult section of the climb is extremely satisfying, but on the other hand, it can be extremely frustrating as well. I enjoyed my time on Kami, but there were times I felt beat down too, both by the mountain and its abrasive protagonist. Ultimately, it's hard to give Cairn a broad recommendation.
On paper, The Game Bakers' latest game might be simplistically labeled a “climbing simulator,” but in practice, it is far more than that. Beyond offering a challenge to both Aava and the player, CAIRN delivers an epic adventure rarely seen in video games. It is a work capable of inspiring wonder, frustration, anger, and moments of calm. Yet, what lingers most is the extraordinary sense of elation when we finally overcome our repeated failures. CAIRN is yet another reminder of the talent flourishing in French studios, and of the pride we can justifiably take in them.
Review in French | Read full review
Cairn is The Game Bakers’ magnum opus. The climb is filled with superb, big and small picture character writing and themes with protagonist Aava. Every facet of the game is touched with the same level of masterful care and magical design. Each crack and pore or clearing to explore in Mount Kami feels purposeful and is designed to be equal parts challenging and restful, depending on the context. With these come these moments of beauty, both scripted and unscripted, minor or major, that stick with you. Even with its obscene difficulty and harsh challenges and teachings along the way, it’s a game that’s essential food for the soul. I’m not making a mountain out of a molehill here. When we talk about games as art, Cairn is the shining example, grabbing you, taking hold of you and changing you.
With an outstanding gameplay loop and so much freedom to climb where and how you like, Cairn is incredible.
Cairn is just really nice to play, with an emotionally gripping story and beautiful sights. You will struggle and get frustrated, but you will overcome whatever is in your way.
Cairn is a demanding and deeply personal experience that effectively combines physics simulation, resource management, and environmental storytelling. We'll be immersed in the feeling of facing a real challenge, where every decision matters and the mountain is perceived as a relentless enemy. It won't be a game for everyone, especially those seeking immediate accessibility, but if we connect with its premise, we'll discover an intense, meditative, and absorbing adventure that rewards patience, observation, and precision. Cairn transforms seemingly simple mechanics into a memorable experience and establishes itself as a benchmark within the climbing and survival genre.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Kami, the mountain that Aava sets out to summit in Cairn, is a harsh, unrelenting cacophony of jagged edges, pushing the player back at every turn. But through the smallest movements, there is a building sense of triumph as you make the ascent to the peak, which The Game Bakers masterfully designed into the cliff surfaces and tense gameplay. The occasional slip, left without feedback, stings and can disjoint the game’s pacing, but ultimately in Cairn there is a new perspective on games that centre their design on difficulty and force you to reconcile how and why you’ll endure their friction.
Cairn may focus on Aava, seasoned climber that she is, but it's not just about her. Cairn is about everyone who is attempting to summit Mount Kami, a mountain that has killed over a hundred people and remains unconquered. Aava is sponsored, yet she wants nothing to do with any of it. She destroys the camera off-screen before you ever start playing as her, and she screens calls from her liaison. She climbs because she has to, not because anyone is watching. As you ascend, the mountain tells its own stories. You find abandoned backpacks, bear-proof supply boxes, lonely Climbots without their climbers, and campsites left behind by people who did not make it back down. Some discoveries are quiet, but others are devastating. You'll find letters from climbing partners, notes from couples who returned again and again, inching higher up each time. But you'll also find bodies, and that will remind you how thin the line is between progress and failure... The mountain feels crowded with absence.
Cairn is an excellently crafted and engaging climbing game that will keep players entertained and immersed from start to finish.
It’s a shame that overall Cairn turned out this way for me. I had high hopes it would pay off in spades after coming out a bit disappointed with Jusant, another climbing game that also had plenty of personality to it but lacked the depth this one tries too hard – and fails – to drive home. As with the studios’ other releases, Cairn is positively gorgeous but stumbles in its delivery. It was only thanks to toggles I would otherwise try to avoid hitting that I got through this one, and at its current state, I have no plans to go on this journey again soon, sadly.