Cairn (2025)

In a world with AI, large corporations shoveling slop games just to make a buck, this game really spoke to me. As a climber myself, I understand the frustration of falling 30 feet on lead and having to start the ascent again. This being the first game review ive wrote in probably 15 years of being on this platform, I found the story to be interpretive and extremely meaningful. I found myself connecting with the story and relating to it more than any game that directly tells you how thir main character is feeling and dealing with their emotions possibly could. Speaking of dealing with emotions, this character seems to actually feel them, they build and build into something relatable and visceral, reinforced by the immaculate sound track. Getting into spoilers, the ending being the most interpretive part is fantastic. Depending on what you believe the ending is supposed to represent, it changes the entire context of the game from the very beginning, all the way to the end. Incredible work of art. Obviously made with passion, love for gaming and climbing. An absolute master class in story telling, and a beautiful soundtrack. Rise being my favorite contextually because of the pure emotion behind it. TLDR: this game is like magic. I wish I could have a game as emotional as this for another 200 hours.

This game is truly perfect for someone who felt souls like fatigue and want something fresh, challenging and beautiful to play. Cairn is very far from cozy climbing game, its hardcore beautiful survival climbing require strategy, resource management and 4 limbs control on which rock you want to grab, also need to watch out how to handle different weather The story is amazing , majestic music & artstyle Overall its 9,5/10 Its the best indie game this year so far

There are some games that immediately pull you in to a magical other world with the visuals, the sounds, and the gameplay. Like Zelda for example. This games got that vibe but it's not without its flaws. The main character and voice acting is pretty good but the rest of the characters are lackluster. They don't play a huge role in the game, and you can skip the cut-scenes, so it's not a big deal. The writing tries to be 'modern' and inclusive which gets old. The game was partially funded by the EU so no surprise there. Getting off the wall onto the ground can still be pretty janky, and if you're like me, your hands will sweat profusely while playing, but there's nothing else quite like it. I played it twice on alpinist. Enjoyed it more the second playthrough as I knew what to expect. Died once trying free solo. Between the different difficulties and routes you can take it's a lot more replayable than most single player games. Overall it's a great game if you can look past its flaws.