Cairn might be the best climbing game I've ever played, and I wish it was released already

GamesActionCairn might be the best climbing game I’ve ever played, and I wish it was released alreadyWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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(Image credit: The Game Bakers)

Climbing a mountain in Cairn

There’s no UI in Cairn to tell me I’m in trouble, but I can see it in the way my protagonist, Aava, is shaking. Her knees are wobbling, and I’m high enough up that I’m really starting to wish I’d wedged a piton into the rock. It’s going to be a long way down.

Cairn, announced during the summer showcases and due for release next year, didn’t wow me with its trailer, but it’s sure wowing me now. Developer The Game Bakers, best known for hits Furi and Haven, seem to have struck gold here with a climbing game that makes it actually feel like you’re climbing, something I’ve been eager to see for the longest time.

Cairn - Demo Teaser - YouTubeWatch On

Cairn - Demo Teaser - YouTube

Climbing tall things in games is a form of escapism I’ve always vibed with, perhaps due to the fact I’m terrified to be more than about a meter off the ground at any point. Unfortunately, while games like Assassin’s Creed and Mirror’s Edge let you rocket around at impossible heights, leaping from structure to structure, it doesn’t actually feel much like climbing. Hold a button to move or tap a button to leap at the right time and you’ll parkour like a superstar.

Cairn’s climbing is a laborious process, with each limb available to be manually positioned. As a result, it’s a crunchy and tactile climbing experience that you’ll feel every second of. Tap a button and your limb will start to move, put it in position and tap again and you’ll move to another limb. There’s inevitably some bad technique to start—legs tucked into each other, arms crossing over—but over time you get into the flow of climbing in Cairn and the game sings. You’ll have to move fast, as holding a bad position for a few seconds too long will send you tumbling back down to earth.

Climbing then is a mix of eyeballing a route and then also quickly trying to tailor your technique as your ascent plan disintegrates upon contact with your rocky foe. Shimmying across a ledge because the angle you thought would work hasn’t panned out, or taking a more complicated path because you just can’t see a way forward.

(Image credit: The Game Bakers)

Climbing a mountain in Cairn

There’s a story, but I’m not shown much of that during my brief hands-on. That’s fine, because as soon as I get through a brief climbing gym to teach me the basics, I’m cut loose to climb an entire mountain. The whole thing is climbable, I’m told, and it’s entirely hand-crafted too. You can see that there’s not just a human touch but that of a climber in the routes, as several are simple enough to be daubed with yellow paint and sent to live in anUbisoftopen-worlder, while others only become apparent as you climb them, sweaty palms gripping the controller as you realise you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.

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