Review
Brutal, bloody and brilliantly tough: Ninja Gaiden 4 review
by Domagoj Belancic
Cairn masters the ascent like no other game
17.2.2026
Translation: Megan Cornish
You can climb in plenty of games, but none of them make you sweat as much as Cairn. At the same time, it exudes tranquillity, as if it were you standing alone on the mountaintop.
Aava’s arms and legs twitch as if she’s having an epileptic seizure. The fact she’s only suffering from muscle cramps doesn’t make the situation much better. I’m hanging as her from a vertical rock face on a godforsaken mountain, and the nearest plateau’s at least ten metres away. It could just as easily be a hundred. I’ve already placed my last piton. If I fall now, I definitely won’t survive the impact.
I don’t have time to be picky about where I place my hands and feet, but every grip has to be perfect. As Aava clings to the rock face, my sweaty hands grip my controller as if I were hanging from the wall myself. With a final burst of strength, Aava reaches over the last ledge and pulls herself up. We both let out a deep sigh of relief. Cairn is absolutely exhausting me. And that’s exactly why it’s so brilliant.
Climbing as a sport, not as part of a show
Jusant, Peak, Chained Together – climbing games are all the rage. But none reach higher than Cairn. In this game from French studio The Game Bakers, you take on the role of professional climber Aava. Her goal: becoming the first person in the world to conquer the legendary Mount Kami. After a mini tutorial in the climbing centre, you head straight to the rocky outcrops of the majestic mountain. You only get a glimpse of the summit behind the clouds.
Source: The Game Bakers
Climbing’s been a staple of countless blockbuster games since at least Assassin’s Creed. But the acrobatic feats of Ezio and his companions have about as much in common with the real sport as Fleischkäse (a Swiss meat product containing no cheese whatsoever) does with actual cheese. Cairn’s a totally different beast. You control Aava’s arms and legs individually. By default, the game selects the joint automatically, but you can also choose it manually with the press of a button. Aava’s controls often result in some very funny movements. It really reminds me of the browser game QWOP, where you use the Q, W, O, and P keys to guide a runner across the finish line. In Cairn, however, the physics are surprisingly realistic, even if Aava’s limbs occasionally perform some pretty bizarre stunts.
Source: The Game Bakers
There are no yellow markers to guide you. You’re completely on your own. Unless you find a map showing possible routes. The game doesn’t visually highlight secure holds either. You rely on Aava’s audio feedback, the vibrations of your controller (especially great with Sony’s DualSense – even on PC), and how much your limbs are shaking. That’s when it’s high time to change grip or place a piton. In a mini-game, you press a button at the right moment and the piton screws cleanly into the rock. Only then can your climbing robot companion remove it later in one piece. You have a limited number of pitons.
Source: The Game Bakers
A journey of self-discovery with hidden stories
The small robot’s the only futuristic element in the game. Otherwise, Cairn stays very grounded. The same is true of the story, which The Game Bakers tell almost incidentally. Occasionally, Aava receives calls from her partner checking in on her or from her publisher, who wants attention-grabbing quotes about the climb. These conversations provide clues as to why Aava’s undertaking this life-threatening endeavour. The narrative style’s pleasantly unobtrusive and never takes the focus away from the heart of the game: the climbing.
Source: The Game Bakers
The Game Bakers also paint the game world with subtle strokes. To my surprise, people once lived at these dizzying heights – some even still do today. Sometimes I stumble across clues to a former civilisation, from an abandoned classroom deep inside the mountain to temple ruins dedicated to Mount Kami. Since the path to the top isn’t linear, you miss a lot of it. I like it. It feels special when, after a strenuous climb, you stand at the entrance of a small mountain cave where wall paintings tell of a previous life. For a brief moment, you no longer feel you’re climbing all alone thousands of metres above the ground – possibly to your death.
With its black outlines, Cairn has a comic-book style. It seems a bit simplistic at first, but as soon as the game title appears, I let out a little «Wow». The Game Bakers are pros at creating impressive moments. At night, I marvel at the full starry sky, which seems almost within reach. When a blizzard lashes my ears, I feel at the mercy of the mountain’s power. And I contentedly enjoy the sunset next to a small mountain lake. Hardly any two climbing sections are alike.
Source: The Game Bakers
Cairn features some survival elements. Aava needs to eat, drink and bandage her bloody fingers. Resources are scarce. The climbing robot can recycle waste into magnesium, which temporarily gives me a better grip and also repairs broken climbing hooks. The survival elements can be disabled in the options menu.
Source: The Game Bakers
There are also other aids available, such as a rewind function in case of falls. I gratefully activated it for the summit of Mount Kami. Even Alex Honnold would have thrown in the towel at that point. It’s a real mystery to me how anyone could overcome that seemingly endless final stretch without this assistance. Maybe I was a bit impatient. It only slightly lessened my feeling of triumph at reaching the summit.
Source: The Game Bakers
Cairn is available for PC and PS5.
In a nutshell
It’s not a real simulation, but you’ll still get vertigo.
I recommend playing Cairn for as long as possible without any help. While the game isn’t a simulator with its climbing robot and self-securing hooks, the steep walls are still awe-inspiring. Only with the constant threat of certain death on your shoulders do you experience the game’s full potential. My heart’s rarely been in my mouth so much as when I lose my grip just before clipping in. Aava then curses Mount Kami almost as loudly as I curse her in front of the TV – she’s driving me crazy!
As is so often the case in games like this, it’s all the more satisfying when you finally manage to climb a seemingly insurmountable rock face. Aava lets out a loud sigh of relief, and I release my cramped fingers from the controller. For a moment, we both enjoy the peace and quiet and admire the breathtaking mountain panorama. That’s when I knew the climb was worth it. And Cairn’s worth it.
Pro
- Exciting climbing experience
- Gripping from beginning to end
- Plot and minor discoveries add variety to climbing sessions
Contra
- Occasional glitches in the climbing physics
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chAs a child, I wasn't allowed to have any consoles. It was only with the arrival of the family's 486 PC that the magical world of gaming opened up to me. Today, I'm overcompensating accordingly. Only a lack of time and money prevents me from trying out every game there is and decorating my shelf with rare retro consoles.
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