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The great team behind Cairn’s music

Hello climbers,

In our latest trailer, you’ve heard the first track Toxic Avenger created for Cairn! It’s time to talk about the standout collaboration behind the game music: The Toxic Avenger (Furi, Road 96) joins forces with Martin Stig Andersen (Control, LIMBO, INSIDE) and Franco-Brazilian singer and composer Gildaa for a powerful, atmospheric soundtrack. Here’s more about that collaboration.

The Toxic Avenger is a French DJ and electronic music producer you might have heard in Furi and in many other soundtracks like Road 96 or The Crew.

We worked with The Toxic Avenger on Furi, for which he created some of the most iconic tracks (like My Only Chance or Make this Right). We absolutely loved working with him then, and we’re super excited to have him back for Cairn.

In Cairn, you can also hear the amazing work of Martin Stig Andersen, the game audio director and composer, who is well known for creating the immersive soundtracks of LIMBO, INSIDE or Control.

Martin is composing the music you hear as you climb, weaving together the work from Gildaa, The Toxic Avenger and his own creation. We’re excited for you to hear it all in the final game.

Last but very much not least, Gildaa wears two hats for Cairn. She is co-composing and singing in the game, but recorded all of Aava’s efforts and breathing materials to support the climbing system. She is a rising star on the French music scene, with her debut album coming later this year (listen to her single Pas Assez!). She sat for an interview with us about her role(s) in Cairn, have a watch!

Cairn’s demo is out now on Steam and PlayStation, and you can wishlist the game to support us!

Cairn’s Accessibility Options

Hi climbers,

We work hard to make our games as accessible as possible and for Cairn we have some features like the Rewind that will make a big difference. Yesterday, Cairn was a part of the Access-Ability showcase where we presented Cairn’s accessibility features.

Watch the video below, and keep reading to get a more in-depth list.

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:

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.
By design, 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 other games)
By design, the game is localized, fully subtitled, with subtitles designed for readability
By design, Cairn’s 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
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

First console announcement: the PlayStation 5

Hi everyone,

A lot of you have been asking if Cairn would be available on console, and we’re happy to confirm that Cairn will launch on PS5 and PC later this year. The game will shine on PS5 and PS5 pro, and we’re already having fun with the haptics implementation. This is the announcement trailer:

https://youtu.be/9keovn3_GOE

Of course we’d love to bring the game to other platforms like we did for our previous games. But for now our small team is 100% committed to launch on PC and PS5 at best quality.

Wishlist the game on Playstation 5 here! https://bit.ly/Cairn-PS5Store

Cairn demo update – February 2025

Hi everyone,

We’re back with a demo update, and improvements a lot of you have been requesting!

Most of the time, it’s good to rely on the game’s calculations to select the best limb to move next. It’s smooth and efficient. But there’s always this one time where you want total control. We heard you. So we are introducing New manual limb selection modes! Not one, not two, but four different control schemes to suit all playstyles!

These are the different modes to pick from: face buttons and shoulder buttons on gamepad, WASD on keyboard, and a quadrant selection on both.

After some testing, we think these are the best ways to let you manually control the limbs, but of course we’d love to hear what you think about it.

This update is also introducing Korean localization, welcome Korean players!

We have also fixed a few bugs:

Manual limb selection: improved limb detection when selecting with the stick, added a visual helper
Some fixes on the rope to avoid weird movement
Fixed several low reproduction soft lock
Fixed PS4 controller displaying Xbox inputs
Fixed off-belay detection
Fixed camera going through ground during recap path
Minor LD fixes to avoid being stuck in narrow spaces
Minor localization fixes and missing prompts

Cairn – speedrun contest

Have you played Cairn’s demo yet? You definitely should! And after you’ve enjoyed all that the Tenzen mountain ridge has to offer, how about… playing it again? Maybe you can make it faster? We’re hosting a mini speedrun competition! The winner gets a Cairn carabiner and some stickers and they’re very cute.

The rules are simple,The persons who own the records on speedrun.com on December 16th at 5pm CET and can be contacted through email or social media wins the competition

We suggest these categories:

Reach the summit: just get to the top as fast as possible
Reach the summit with all 9 pitons: find all pitons, and manage to climb without breaking any
Open the box in the gym
Grab the honey: find a way to get that sweet, sweet nectar

Cairn – route competition

You can climb anything, anywhere in Cairn. This means you will create your own unique route every time you climb Tenzen’s mountain ridge! Share your route with us to enter our route contest, and get a chance to win an exclusive Cairn carabiner

Send two screenshots of your complete path using Display path, or a video of your Replay path to fanart@thegamebakers.com before December 13th at 5pm CET to enter!

We’ll pick winners for two categories:

Hardest route – it can include overhangs, jumps…
most unusual route – the route we don’t see everyday!

Winners will be announced on the 16th. May the mountain be with you

Cairn – FAQ

Thank you for playing the demo! We have gathered all common questions and a list of known issues here.

Set up

Can I play with any controllers, or keyboard and mouse?

Yes, Cairn supports all controllers as well as keyboard and mouse.

Can I play Cairn on Steamdeck?

We are planning for Cairn to be optimized for Steamdeck at launch. For the demo, you can try, but it’s not optimized yet, there are bugs and the framerate is lower.

Laat je dus niet verleiden om pillen te bestellen die voor voor een aantrekkelijke prijs aangeboden worden 54mm 1, or use a medicine dosemeasuring device not a kitchen spoon. Sildenafil in duitsland wordt u geadviseerd om voor het innemen van Kamagra geen grote hoeveelheden alcohol te nuttigen. Weak stream, and incomplete bladder emptying, nederland Österreich.

Can I play Cairn via Linux?

We don’t officialy support Linux, you may encounter bugs.

Gameplay

Can I select the next limb to move?

The game will automatically select the best limb for you to move next, based on how much weight each of them are holding and your posture. We recommend to play with automatic limbs selection, for a smooth and natural gameplay. If you prefer there is an option to select your limb: go to Settings / Gameplay and chose Manual limb selection.
There are 4 different modes of limb selection you can pick from

Back buttons on controller
Face buttons on controller
WASD on keyboard
A quadrant selection, on controller and keyboard

Can I highlight the limb that is selected?

Yes. Go to Settings / Gameplay and choose Highlight limbs.

How do I turn on the lamp on my stick?

It is in the alternate quick access menu. On controller, you need to use LT/L2 to display the alternate quick access menu. On KBM, press X to toggle between quick access menus.

Can I climb anything?

You can try!

I saved at a bivouac but can’t find the load game menu

You can load your previous saves by displaying the path (press L1 then Y) and aiming at the save points displayed on it, then press A.

Where can I find my photomode screenshots?

In your Steam screenshots gallery

Known issues

The updated list is available here: https://bit.ly/Cairn-DemoFAQ

How to report a problem

On Steam you can head to the Community Hub and post in the forums here

The Game Bakers Discord is also a good place for information.

You can also write to support@thegamebakers.com

To report a bug:

The problem • Explain the problem with as many details as possible. • If known, what are the steps to reproduce the bug? • What is the reproduction rate? (how often does the bug happen) • Have you had similar issues with other games? • Do you have vsync turn on or off?
Include your PC configuration

Windows + R
Tape msinfo32
File > Export
You will be able to save a .txt file of your config that you can include in your report

Send your logs
1. Open the game local files in Steam (Steam > Library > Cairn Demo > Cog > Manage > Browse local files)
2. Double click on RegroupLogs
3. It will create a .zip file that you can include in your report

We will keep the known issues up to date here.

Thank you!

Cairn – photo mode competition

We like to celebrate you enjoying our games, and gifting you the very first piece of Cairn merch, carabiners, feels fitting!

Read below for the details and rules,

Use the in-game photo mode to capture a screenshot, anywhere in the demo. Send your screenshot to fanart@thegamebakers.com before December 10th at 5pm CET to enter.

We will announce the winners on December 11th. We can’t wait to see your pictures!

Time to climb in Cairn’s demo!

You know how they say good things come to those who wait? Well, thank you for your patience, but wait no more: go and play Cairn’s demo right NOW

In the demo, you play as Aava, attempting your first ascent before heading to mount Kami. After a warm-up in the climbing gym, you climb to the summit of mount Tenzen. You have full freedom to explore the small mountain ridge, learn how to climb, forage, and survive in a low-pressure environment. It packs many of the features of the full game.

To mark the occasion, we premiered a brand new gameplay trailer, check it out:

Haven – Interview with Ryan Highley, male Yu!

Can you introduce yourself? Can you tell us about you and your career?

Hi ! Pleased that the Haven team is back out spreading love ! I’m Ryan Highley, actor with a strong focus on voice performances, particularly in the gaming and entertainment worlds. I’ve been living in this line of work since 2018, after a long journey before actually going down this path. “Career” is a funny word, I’m not sure where this is leading but I was born into a family of amateur theatre, singing, and dance lovers, and I got involved in theatre myself from the age of six. But when it came to my studies, I kept things broad, at that point I wasn’t too sure of my career path. I chose what I felt was a neutral dscipline in sales, thinking I could market products in industries I was passionate about, like electric guitars or music XD. But sales didn’t suit me, and I found myself exploring various other fields. In 2018, I had a wake-up call and decided to drop everything to get into professional acting. I committed fully, turned my world around, and here we are today—the leap of faith paid off!

At the very beginning when you started working on Haven, what did you expect? Did you feel inspired by the original performances?

I only found out quite close to the recording date that the project I was working on was Haven. A sound studio now called Light Fader (Audio Workshop at the time) got in touch about the role. As soon as I knew, I dove into researching everything I could about it—I’m pretty passionate that way. Thanks to YouTube, playthroughs, teasers, and other content, I got a good sense of the world and what would be expected of me. But no, I didn’t initially know it was about a romantic couple stranded on a distant planet after escaping a civilization. Learning that a core part of the characters’ experience was conveyed through intimacy really resonated with me, as I value that depth of vulnerability in my own life, not only in romantic relationships but in every interaction where people show their true selves.

For Haven, the original performances were genuinely inspiring—Janine Harouni’s interpretation of Yu and Chris Lew Kum Hoi’s take on Kay brought so much authenticity to the characters, it was both inspiring and a big challenge.

Would you say you can relate to that couple, or to your character?

Absolutely. There’s something very real and grounded about the couple’s relationship that I think many people, including myself, can relate to. The way Haven portrays intimate moments, conflicts, complaints, and healthy resolutions feels authentic, offering a balanced, healthy take on the ups and downs of couple life, which I really appreciate. Funnily enough, I actually relate a bit more to Kay’s personality in real life than to Yu’s, but there are pieces of Yu that felt like home too. There is something very balanced about the writing, the characters have such different backgrounds and still find common ground, there are several moments where they may hurt each others feelings, but resonable and mature problem solving brings them closer together. I’m glad it’s out there, somewhat giving us all a nice story to witness.

Your performance was matched with the previous recordings, did that change how you recorded in the studio?

Well, we are less and less asked to work in the same booth as our co-actors and more and more, we only get pre-recored lines. So, I do adjust to this, but it has become a broad requirement and skill. What was most unusual, is recording lines that were already set as a reference. This was a unique challenge, as there was such a strong commitment to preserving the original personality and essence of Yu—not only through the writing but also through Janine Harouni’s interpretation. It was essential that I stay true to her portrayal while bringing my own believable version. As always my shades of personality trickle through, but I believe I managed to keep the character’s intricacies and subtleties, but Janine brough a cheaky sharp tone I really liked.

Can you share a funny or memorable moment that happened during the recordings?

Wow, this does take me back a bit, there was definitely fun moments involved. The writing for these characters is genuinely funny, and the relationship between Yu and Kay naturally lends itself to playing around with certain scenes that capture those nice, everyday life moments. The recurring Appledew references, the little conflicts that turn into sweet resolutions, and the bad and good jokes all added to the joy of bringing this character to life. I think “Bloot” ended up being the main laughing factor both for myself and the studio as it came back constantly! It was an overall pleasure to work on, and those small, relatable moments made it memorable especially the cheeky ones.

Is there anything you want to share with us?

Working on this game felt incredibly real, and I truly admire the extra time and effort the developers invested into the Couple Update not knowing exactly where this journey would lead. It was a bold choice that allowed more people to connect deeply with the narration. I myself, am proud to have contributed in my own way. This is also the way Lexie Kendrick and I got to meet. We caught up for coffee a few months after recording, it was great to meet female Kay ! (haha). Since then I’ve been busy in many other games and projects, but I suppose my latest big news is a youtube series called CATS: The Conspurracy with Devora Wilde, it’s in an RPG show called Rôle’N Play, all fun and games.

I can’t wait to see what the Game Bakers will be “baking” for the future! Thank you and Happy Season of Pride !