Cairn

Cairn was an absolutely phenomenal experience. I had played a few different climbing-based games prior and really started enjoying the thrill of progressing towards a peak you can see, but it feeling like it's always still so far off in the distance. Cairn gave that exact same feeling throughout the entire journey. It didn't take long before realizing that Cairn isn't a predetermined climbing puzzle. Instead, each obstacle can be approached in virtually any way and it's up to [i]you[/i] to scope out what route seems best. What's the incline look like? How safe do the holds appear to be? Where does this path have me end up? Are there resources or hidden areas available from one route vs another? What does a potential fall look like? Although Cairn has limited resources and space for you to carry things, I don't feel like they balanced the game around that being a major pressure. It felt more like it was there to emphasize that you're climbing a mountain with limited tools and a backpack of essentials rather than simply playing a game that lays out climbing obstacles. I think it was a perfect balanced or mildly plentiful, especially if you're willing to stray a bit to pick up items from places that aren't just the direct path up. The overall difficulty throughout progression was also very balanced. Nothing ever felt unfair or cheap in how you were being challenged. Even in some of the tensest areas on the end, your learned experience throughout the game was the core skillset needed to succeed. Although, they certainly had a few situations that made things extra tense that were unexpected for sure. It was all worth it though because the ending was perfect and I don't think I could be convinced that anyone feels otherwise.