Well, there is a new indie game to pay attention to—and there’s a demo available for you to try it out! But let’s talk about this realistic climbing simulator called Cairn. You play as a pro climber named Aava, and your mission is to climb Mount Kami, a fictional summit that has never been reached before.
During the story, you can meet unexpected people who can become your companions—or just focus on the cute little climbing robot you see in some of the preview images on the game’s Steam page. As you climb, you’ll uncover the hidden lore and history of the mountain. And eventually, you’ll find out what Aava is truly willing to sacrifice to achieve her dream of reaching the summit.
Free Climbing and Full Immersion
Now let’s go into a little more detail about the game, Cairn. It’s not the most realistic in terms of graphics, but the distinctive art style doesn’t detract from the gameplay—if anything, it enhances it. With simple controls that let players intuitively scale cliff faces, it strikes a great balance between realism and an artistic, immersive world.
Players are free to climb anywhere. You can explore the mountain, study the rock face from the ground, and plan your route carefully. You’ll need to adapt your posture, effort, and balance—and true to real-life climbing, if you’re not careful, you will fall!
Survival Requires Strategy
On top of that, you’ll have to manage resources to survive the treacherous ascent. That includes your climbing gear (chalk, finger tape, etc.), but also food, water, and medications. These must be watched carefully, because one misstep or misuse could make the rest of your climb impossible.
Cairn stays true to why athletes challenge themselves to climb these impossible heights while also staying true to its own particular style to make it an exciting game. One that players should greatly anticipate!
Demo Now Available
You can wishlist Cairn on Steam, or head to their website for the link to wishlist it on PlayStation. You can also play the demo now for both PC and PS5 (dare to try your luck?).
This is a game to watch out for—its gripping scenery, emotional stakes, and mysterious lore might just have you climbing the walls in anticipation.
(Sorry, couldn’t help it.)
Don't stop here
Every Score. Every Story. One Home.
Breaking sports, entertainment and news from across the Total Apex network, updated all day.
Get the Full Story →