The Game Bakers, the team behind Furi and Haven, revealed mountain-climbing adventure game Cairn during Summer Game Fest over the weekend. In Cairn, you play as professional climber Aava during her journey to ascend a summit that no one has reached before, but not without cost.
More than just an adventure game, Cairn features a realistic mountain-climbing simulation that allows players to seamlessly move their arms and legs. Cairn is a challenging game (but does have multiple difficulties) that will test your ability to plan a route and navigate the challenges of a rock face. The Game Bakers says that each section can be viewed as a boss fight that requires you to manage equipment and resources.
Those resources and Aava’s physical condition must be managed appropriately, by foraging for food and water, or setting up a bivouac to rest and cook food. It reminds me of the excellent climbing game, Jusant, but with survival mechanics and a more intense climbing simulation, which I dig.
Cairn is planned for a 2025 release on both PC and consoles.
