Cairn

A climb that no one has made is how Mount Kami is described in Cairn. The game from studio The Game Bakers, the authors of Furi and Haven, puts the player in the shoes of the climber Aava and does not promise any hints or convenient paths: you have to come up with the route yourself, peering into cracks, ledges and overhanging cornices. Climbing is presented as an honest simulation. The arms and legs move separately, and each movement has to be calculated: grip, weight transfer, resting on a comfortable point. No jumps with double twists - only slow progress upward, where a mistake costs a broken grip and lost strength. The attitude towards resources is harsh. The pitons are spent on insurance, food and water are spent on recovery, and the weather can close the chosen route for several hours. The game does not push the player, but does not forgive carelessness: you have to climb at the pace that your body allows, and not your ambitions. Despite the realism, the controls remain simple: move the stick and one capture button, and everything else is a matter of calculation and patience. The wall reads like a task: where to go along the crack, where to intercept, and where it is better to go back and look for another path. The ability to choose your own route turns the game into a personal competition with the mountain, rather than with a checklist of checkpoints. The Cairn was released after several delays, and before release, everyone had the opportunity to try a demo on the Tenzen mountain range. The atmosphere here is more important than records: silence, wind, view from above and the feeling that such a peak requires respect from a person, not strength.