Cairn is an incredible game. A "this is why I play video games" game. Indie games yet again saving us from the dredge that the games industry can be. But it's not perfect. I finished the game, but there were some moments that made me want to tear my hair out (hence 4 stars).
I'll get my gripes out of the way first.
Gripe 1: Unfair falls due to inconsistent "resting position" mechanic. Aava can "rest" when climbing if you put her in an appropriate grasping position. But sometimes she seems unable to find that resting position even though it looks exactly like all the previous resting positions you've done before. This will lead her to shake and fall. It seems to be tied to specific locations: if you pass the same way again and try to find that same resting position, she sometimes will be able to rest, sometimes she won't. I've fallen multiple times because I was unable to get the game to detect Aava is in a resting position, despite it usually working well.
Gripe 2: Unfair falls due to inconsistent limb selection mechanic. This one will sometimes really screw you over. There's been many situations where I have one limb holds Aava's body while I'm trying to move the others, but for some reason the game will decide that's exactly the limb that needs to move next. This can completely negate your grasp and lead to falls. This is particularly true in situations where you need to move fast. I appreciate the devs have given us the ability to manually choose which limb to move. I think that system also needs improvement because the direction you need to point the joystick toward to select the limb you want changes depending on limb positions. This makes the manual selection inconsistent, leads to more errors and frustration and falls, again especially when speed is key. EDIT: You can change the selection mode in the options to be a radial selection, which is incredibly more intuitive. I don't know why this is not the default option.
Gripe 3: Unfair falls due to inconsistent grasping mechanic. Aava will sometimes not place her limbs where you want. You may perfectly align her hand to a ledge you want her to grasp, but she will lean against it instead. This leads to basically the same problems and frustrations I've described earlier with the limb selection system.
Gripe 4: The ragdolling after a fall is overdone. Aava will go completely limp after a few seconds hitting the floor. Fair enough, but she will also very slowly roll down in the slightest slope for the longest of time, which may lead her rolling off another ledge. I think this should be pulled back a bit, and if Aava's ragdoll is fairly slow, just allow the player to get back up. There's already the punishment of the health decrease plus having to redo part of the climb. No need to compound it further.
Gripe 5: The run-jump mechanic. Please don't force us to use the this when we rarely encounter and use this mechanic in the game. I died on that platformer section before the Needle, because after landing on one platform, Aava started ragdolling on a flat surface, and rolled away into the precipice... That was my only death in the whole game.
Beyond these gripes that I hope they patch out, the game is an absolute gem. There's a certain quality to this game that is similar to what I've felt playing Outer Wilds. Trying to find your way through the mountain, the inner-call to explore and gauging the risks, the breath-taking vistas, the sheer scale of the endeavour, and catastrophe just one slip away.
There's something about reflecting on your ascent, realise how far you've come, before you look up and realise just how much there is still to do. It's incredible to feel like a competent climber (understatement for Aava) that can survive in the harsh mountain environment. The survival aspects of the game (food, water, cold) really add to this dimension. So do the different bits of lore, lost equipment and yes the occasional skeleton you encounter on your way up.
Aava's voice acting, wimpering at hunger/thirst, and screams of rage after a fall where all really on point. They really add a ton to that feeling of danger and frustration. I don't know that I enjoyed Aava's character however. I admired her determination throughout the game, but didn't really enjoy her personality and how she engages with people (except Chris, Chris is an ass). But I'm still mulling over the themes of the game and how they relate to her character, so that might change.
I really want to replay the game, choose different routes, see what points of interest I've missed, and just generally enjoy another climb. I'd even like to try the perma-death mode, though not before my gripes are addressed. I would also love to redo a climb with all the items I've found/unlocked on the way, though I understand that's not necessarily how the game was designed. I'd also love a way to simply "let go" of a wall when I'm not very high up, instead of "jumping off" it. It would have come handy a few times without me risking just jumping to my death.
Cairn is overall a great game that I hope they patch the must frustrating aspects of. It will stay with me for a long time.
Pros:
- Incredible climbing mechanic and sensations. Once you've got a good grasp of the mechanic you can get into a good state of flow.
- Beautiful vistas, music, a hits you in the feels.
- Clear labour of love from a dedicated indie team.
Cons:
- Limb selection and grasping mechanic will let you down, which will lead to unfair and frustrating falls.
- The ragdolling is overdone and can turn a frustrating fall into a hair-tearing moment.