I don't think I've ever gripped a game controller tighter in my life than while playing the demo for Cairn. It's a climbing sim where you control each of your climbers' limbs as they scale the side of a mountain, while also managing your resources to survive the long, arduous ascent. You play as a climber named Aava, whose goal is to be the first human to reach the summit of the treacherous Mount Kami. Your goal is to get her there.
Cairn's grueling survival framework is novel territory for developer The Game Bakers, whose past works include blood-pumping bullet hell Furi and romance action RPG Haven. But when deciding their next game, studio co-founder and Cairn creative director Emeric Thoa says that the team wanted their next project to focus on a game experience that demanded more skill from the player.
