The team behind Open it and Shelter is back with something completely different and very intense: Cairn. It's a climbing simulator set on the side of a lethally steep mountain, starring a mountaineer who is determined to be the first person to reach the top of it. Players can climb literally everywhere. Cairn, and the challenge lies in maintaining balance and resistance moment to moment. If he doesn't, the climber falls and hangs from his leash, letting out a cry of frustration. It's something like GIRPbut incredibly elegant and super tough.
Cairn is a “survival climber,” according to The Game Bakers, and includes moments of slow mundanity among extreme physical exertion. As they ascend, players can establish a limited number of checkpoints by screwing pitons into the rock, and choosing where to place them is a critical aspect of the game's strategy.
The Game Bakers debuted Cairn during the Summer Game Fest opening show. His development team includes sound designer Lukas Julian Lentz, who worked on Cocoonand audio director Martin Stig Andersen, whose previous projects include Limbo, Inside and Control. It is currently scheduled for release in 2025 on PC and consoles.
Catch up on all the news from Summer Game Fest 2024 right here!
