Cairn Review - She will fall down the mountain when she comes

Cairn is about more than just climbing one of the highest mountains in its fictional world. It is a journey of personal regret, doubt, love and taking another step into the unknown. It's a lovingly crafted experience as deep in its systemic climbing mechanics as its story of a woman who has spent years living her dream and now yearns to return to normality.

While its voice acting can prove inconsistent and some of its mechanics unfortunately end up feeling underutilized, The Game Bakers has nevertheless created an impactful story about how far we're willing to push ourselves to feel something or prove doubters wrong. But more than that, it's about the sacrifices people are willing to make to achieve true greatness.

It will always be a different mountain

Aava begins to walk up the main mountain of the Cairn.

You play as Aava, an experienced mountaineer who has scaled many iconic climbs around the world. All but Mount Kami, a terrifyingly large peak that has claimed hundreds of lives in the past, whose corpse you will stumble upon during your own ascent. Aava treats these as a grim but familiar sight, reminding her of the harsh reality of climbing mountains that were never meant to be truly conquered.

Despite this death threat, Aava moves forward with quiet determination, a will to desperately fill an empty void in her life that rises to the surface throughout the story. In the early hours, her fame becomes apparent as she tries to avoid calls from agents and sponsors pestering her for updates. If she makes it to the top it will be a very big deal, so of course her bosses want to cash in on the opportunity however possible. But Aava is not in this for the fame or fortune, at least not anymore.

Aava is a rather grumpy character, but this sharp personality eventually diminishes the more she begins to ponder the purpose of climbing Mount Kami.

Aava encounters a dead body at the beginning of the Cairn.

Aava wants to reach the top of Mount Kami to feel something, to prove that this physical activity she has devoted her entire personal and professional life to is not for naught. Or maybe she reached her own peak long ago and is now searching for purpose. She wants a reason resonant enough to continue or throw in the towel forever.

She is fearlessly apathetic about her own mortality throughout the story before finally realizing that there are people below who care about her, whether colleagues, partners or family, no matter what flaws they may carry. It serves as the perfect thematic companion to gameplay that's all about holding tight until you have nothing left to give.

I will always make it move

Cairn is easy to learn, but incredibly difficult to master. Aava climbs by approaching a vertical surface and pressing the Square/X button, and from here you can use the left thumbstick to move one limb at a time to grips that look like they can support your weight and cracks that can be clamped without losing your grip and falling into oblivion. Aava can contort her body into some incredibly spider-like positions, meaning the game often feels surprisingly unrealistic and forgiving at times, but I doubt it would be much fun if she tried to emulate the truly unforgiving realism of rock climbing. It provides a good balance.

I found myself mimicking the movements I made climbing Snowdon late last year as I carefully placed my feet on secure rock formations before gradually moving each limb one by one until it was safe to push forward. If Aava ever finds herself in a position where her weight is not evenly distributed or her center of gravity is inadequate, she will run out of stamina and have no choice but to let go.

Aava prepares to soak under a waterfall in the Cairn.

This is where pitons come in – sticks that can be driven into the rock a handful of times during each climb to act as self-made checkpoints. If the road ahead feels too treacherous, you can rappel down to the starting point and start over.

Starting at the bottom of an extensive climb, I looked up and contemplated all the enormous tasks ahead, only to throw caution to the wind as I took the first step and did everything I could to keep moving forward. Time melts away during the hardest climbs, your mind entering a state of flux thanks to every move potentially being your last.

Cairn introduces just enough systems to manage along with your endurance that you always feel challenged, but never overwhelmed to the point of fatigue. If I screwed up, chances are it was 100 percent my fault and I either needed to take a different route or be more prepared next time.

Will always be an uphill climb

Aava was relaxing with a goat in the Cairn.

Cairn isn't just about correctly positioning your limbs up a mountain for hours, though. This is not only a rugged climbing simulator, it is also a survival game where your hunger, thirst and overall physical fitness must be managed and taken into consideration at all times. If your thirst and hunger bottom out in the middle of a climb, you'll struggle, while damage done during more dramatic falls will require rest and recovery to treat. Death will throw you back to the nearest save point, represented by small windows in the rock where you can camp to rest, sleep, and repair the tape on your bleeding hands.

Your tent is a place for brief, comforting respites. Aava is encouraged to cook a variety of meals using water collected on the mountain, with staples such as instant noodles and random items collected in the game world, ranging from fish to fauna. I tended to create offerings that gave me the best stat buffs rather than potential flavor, meaning my Aava became very fond of flowery tea with absolutely no nutritional value. But it got the job done.

You retape your fingers with a wonderful mini-game where the thumbstick is used to spin tape around your bloody digits, giving a graphic visual representation of how far you've come.

A few hours into my playthrough, I find myself developing a climber's mindset. I would scout potential routes before setting up my tent for the night, making sure to get up early in the morning to make the most of the daylight before settling down after reaching a natural endpoint. It's an efficient routine that makes it feel like I'm always moving forward, while all the calls Aava receives from colleagues and loved ones remind us of everything our hero willingly leaves behind.

It's consistently bittersweet, especially as Aava stumbles across a series of other characters who either recognize her or have called this mountain home for a very long time. It is revealed early on that an ancient civilization used to live on this summit and throughout its existence strove to leave it behind and discover a new world.

Sometimes I have to lose

Avva meets another climber offering soup in the cairn.

While Aava longs for solitude to clear her mind and contemplate her existence, she is often reminded of the value that comes from belonging and not letting her accomplishments be the defining factor of your being. Aava is more than just a world-famous climber, and it takes pushing herself to the limit to realize that. As I sat down to rest at many of the titular stone structures scattered throughout the game, I kept asking myself what this was all about. This experience would be just as satisfying without a strong thread that pulls everything together, which helps elevate The Game Baker's latest effort to another level altogether.

Cairn is an impeccably executed marriage of story and mechanics that challenges you as much as it asks you to ponder the meaning of this journey Aava is embarking on. It's akin to a pilgrimage of self-discovery that I've embarked on over the past few months as part of me ponders the accomplishments I've made throughout my life and exactly where I want to go next with my career, my identity, and my entire existence on this planet. If a single game can force me to have those kinds of internal conversations, it's done something amazing.