Review: Cairn (Playstation 5)

Cairn, the latest outing from The Game Bakers (creators of Furi and Haven), is not a game you play to relax—at least, not in the traditional sense. It is a survival-climber that demands your full attention, turning every inch of vertical rock into a life-or-death puzzle. It is frustrating, beautiful, and deeply rewarding. While it occasionally stumbles over its own ambition with finicky controls and technical hiccups, Cairn offers one of the most unique and tactile experiences on the PlayStation 5 this year.

At its core, Cairn is a simulation of the physical act of climbing. You play as Aava, a seasoned mountaineer attempting to summit the unconquered Mount Kami. Unlike games where climbing is automated (think Uncharted or Assassin’s Creed), Cairn asks you to deliberately place every hand and foot.

The game employs a unique “limb-based” control scheme where you must constantly manage grip, stamina, and balance. The DualSense controller shines here, using haptic feedback to let you “feel” the tension in Aava’s muscles or the precariousness of a loose hold. Looking up at the sheer cliff face reveals the mountain as a massive puzzle with no single “correct” path; you must read the rock to find cracks and ledges, making it feel less like a platformer and more like a real-time strategy game. The climb is further punctuated by survival mechanics requiring you to manage hunger, thirst, and temperature. Perhaps the most striking feature is the visceral medical system, forcing you to manually tape up Aava’s bloody fingers and tend to injuries to reinforce the physical toll of the journey.

The narrative is sparse but effective, told largely through environmental storytelling and Aava’s interactions with her robot companion (who provides a nice contrast to the isolation). Visually, the art style led by comic artist Mathieu Bablet is stunning, featuring a stylized, almost cel-shaded look that renders the mountain ancient and alien. The 21:9 ultrawide presentation on PS5 adds a cinematic scale that emphasizes just how small you are compared to the environment. This is complemented by a masterful sound design where the wind, crunch of snow, and Aava’s ragged breathing create a soundscape that is both meditative and terrifying.

Because Cairn is so dedicated to its realistic physics simulation, it naturally comes with a steep learning curve. The control scheme is ambitious and complex, occasionally requiring a moment of pause to ensure the limb-selection logic aligns with your intent, which adds an extra layer of difficulty to high-stakes sections. The game also pushes the PS5 to its limits to display its massive, sweeping vistas; while this results in a breathtaking visual scale, you may notice the occasional minor technical hiccup during the most demanding weather transitions. Additionally, the survival loops of eating and healing establish a deliberate, methodical pace that contrasts with faster action games, asking the player to embrace the slow, rhythmic grind of the ascent rather than rushing to the top.

Cairn is a bold experiment that mostly succeeds. The main ascent will take most players around 12 to 15 hours to complete, though completionists can easily double that time exploring alternate routes. For those who want to support The Game Bakers further, a Deluxe Upgrade Pack is available, offering a digital artbook and cosmetic keepsakes for Aava’s backpack, though the base experience feels complete on its own. It captures the “Type 2 Fun” of real mountaineering—miserable and exhausting in the moment, but incredibly satisfying once you conquer it. If you have the patience to master its deliberate controls and forgive its technical blemishes, Mount Kami is a peak well worth scaling.