Cairn is the conclusion of a trilogy about freedom, after live free (Furi), free to love who you want (Haven), Cairn is about the ascent of a unconquered summit, and the freedom to overcome your own limitations.

Cairn is a realistic mountain ascent adventure with an intuitive climbing simulation that lets players climb naturally, seamlessly moving arms and legs. Climbers are free to explore the mountain, read the rock face and decide on their route. Climbing is challenging, with difficult sections to navigate, and equipment and pitons must be used wisely. In the unforgiving high-altitude environment, climbers need to manage their resources and physical condition and make the most of what they can find, foraging for food or water or setting up a bivouac.

The team at Game Bakers has brought on best-in-class reinforcement with an all-star audio team composed of Martin Stig Andersen (Limbo, Inside, Control…) and Lukas Julian Lentz (Cocoon). The stylized art direction and story are the creation of French comic book artist Mathieu Bablet (Carbon & Silicon, Shangri-La…).

True to The Game Bakers’ signature style, players also embark on an unforgettable story, following Aava’s journey on the deadly mountain. She will have unexpected encounters and discover the mountain's history and hidden treasures. She will also have to decide the sacrifices she is willing to make to achieve her dream.

The Game Bakers has revealed the cast of Cairn, which is part of the Official Selection of the 2025 Tribeca Festival Games Program.

In celebration of the game’s New York premiere at the Festival, which includes an exclusive playable demo at the Tribeca Games Gallery at Pier 57 from June 11-15, the studio has shared more details about the voice talent bringing Cairn’s story and characters to life.

Cairn marks the first videogame collaboration for acclaimed comic book artist and writer Mathieu Bablet, author of award winning Carbone & Silicium or Shangri-la. Mathieu Bablet is the art director and writer for the game, which weaves an intense survival-climbing experience with the journey of Aava, attempting to summit the mountain she’s been training for her whole life.

Aava is a tough and experienced climber, on her way to be the first to reach the summit of Mount Kami. The multi-award winning actress Sophia Eleni (Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Call the Midwife, Dungeons and Dragons...) is giving Aava all her determination and grit.

Actress and singer Camille Constantin Da Silva & Gildaa also contributes to bringing Aava to life by giving her her singing voice and by conveying the character’s intense effort with a rich mosaic of breath, strain, and pain sounds.

Along the ascent, Aava will meet Marco. A polar opposite of Aava, he’s cheerful and social. Hyoie O’Grady (Outlander, Dying Light 2, Wuthering Waves...) conveys the young climber’s aspiration and his humanity.

Chris is Aava’s agent. His star climber is about to embark on the most difficult ascent in the world, and become a legend. But Adam Howden (Final Fantasy XIV, Metaphor Re:Fantasio, Xenoblade Chronicles...) is not exactly living the dream — chasing her for updates to keep the sponsors from having a meltdown. 

With over 15h of playtime for the main storyline only, Aava will make unexpected encounters along her ascent and meet characters yet to be revealed, played by an excellent cast:

• Aaron Neil (Peaky Blinders, Jurassic World Evolution 2, Castlevania: Nocturne...)
• Rebecca Benson (Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, Xenoblade Chronicles 3...)
• Alexandra Boulton (Dragon Quest...)
• Rich Keeble (Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, Split Fiction, New World: Aeternum...)

The voice actors were directed by SIDE UK’s team of amazing voice directors: Kate Saxton and Damien Goodwin.

There are two main features that we think will be game changers in making Cairn more accessible:

Rewind is our key accessibility feature. Climbing is challenging, and everything can change in the blink of an eye. With rewind, you can get back to where you were before you made a mistake. This allows you to try again right in the midst of the action, and also to experiment!

Another feature we know players will appreciate is the ability to rebind all inputs. While the climbing inputs are simple, we know everyone has a preference on how to map their controller or keyboard. This will also allow Cairn to function on most adaptive controllers.

Here’s a list of more accessibility options you’ll have access to in the full game, and what we took into consideration so Cairn is accessible by design:

• The UI never relies on color only. There's always an accompanying animation or design that allows the game to be played without color perception.

• Our UI texts are large (there's no option, but the smaller text in Cairn is approximately as big as the biggest text in most games)

• UI is minimal, but the climbing cues are both visual and auditory. When your stamina runs low, the breathing changes, the limbs start to shake, and the camera zooms in.

• Cairn lets you select your route, which also allows you to control the difficulty level of your ascent.

• There are 3 different difficulty levels: Explorer, Alpinist, and Free solo.

• There's an option for an Assist mode, which greatly reduces difficulty

• The game is localized, fully subtitled, with subtitles designed for readability.

• And many other options that will enhance accessibility:

  • Option to skip the piton mini-game that requires timing

  • Option to highlight limbs when climbing, which improves visibility

  • Option to switch between "Hold" or "Toggle" for inputs

  • Option to invert the X/Y axis

  • A slider for vibration intensity

  • You can pause the game

  • All cutscenes are skippable

 

Key Features:

• ASCENT OF A LIFETIME As pro climber Aava, you embark on the ascent of Mount Kami, a summit that has never been reached. Along the journey, meet unexpected companions and hear from those left on the ground. Discover the mountain's history and decide what Aava is willing to sacrifice to achieve the her dream.
• REALISTIC CLIMBING SIMULATION Cairn’s simulation allows intuitive climbing: find the best holds and place your hands and feet seamlessly with simple controls. Adapt your posture, effort and balance —if you're not careful, you will fall!
• OPEN YOUR OWN ROUTE You are free to climb anywhere. Explore the mountain, read the rock face from the ground and plan your route carefully to reach the top. Solve problems while on the wall to navigate difficult sections. You can climb on anything, so choose your path wisely!
• CLIMBING IS A FIGHT Climbing is challenging: each wall feels like a boss fight. A thrilling challenge for those eager to test themselves, but you can also adjust the difficulty to customise your experience.
• SURVIVE THE DEADLY MOUNTAIN Manage your resources to survive during the long ascent: pitons, chalk, finger tape... but also food, water and medicine. Set up bivouacs and explore the mountain to find resources to reach the summit.
• ENDLESS REPLAYABILITY: in Expedition mode, choose Aava or Marco and attack different mountains your way: select your climbing style (alpine, free solo) and challenges to take on. Compare your performance with other climbers.

Cairn is coming to PC (Steam) and PS5 on November 5, 2025.