How far would you push yourself to achieve your dreams? Looking down from the peak, would it all be worth it?
Cairn, developed by The Game Bakers, is a 2026 survival climbing game that follows world-renowned alpinist Aava as she attempts to single-handedly (well, figuratively, at least) climb one of the highest and most treacherous mountains in the world. Players must familiarize themselves with a unique control schema for climbing and choose their path to ascent wisely as they guide Aava up this formidable peak. In addition to the climbing itself, players need to monitor the supplies she’s carrying in her backpack wisely, to make sure Aava never runs out of food or water on her journey. The adventure is harrowing, but so are the emotions that get stirred up on the way to the top.
It was an absolute pleasure to get to talk about this powerful and extremely challenging game with Adam Gumbert, of The Tier List and Respawn Aim Fire podcasts. In this discussion we share our thoughts on the climbing mechanics and whether the survival elements supported or detracted from our experience of the game. We also take a close look at Aava’s personal journey and ask ourselves which is the “good” ending and which is the “true” ending of this game.
Episode Timecodes
- Weekly Boss Battles ✦ 00:03:50
- Meet our Guest – Adam Gumbert, The Tier List ✦ 00:09:42
- Cairn Discussion ✦ 00:21:52
- Game Ratings ✦ 01:23:05
- One Small Thing ✦ 01:28:02
Meet our Guest
Adam (he/him)
@adamgumby.bsky.social
You may have read his words on Game Sandwich or heard him on shows like Respawn Aim Fire or his newest podcast The Tier List. Or maybe you’ve attended (or participated in) his live gaming events like this year’s Game-pardy panel at PAX East. We were delighted to have Adam come join us for this episode!
Check out Adam’s work on:
Bluesky | The Tier List | Respawn Aim Fire | Game Sandwich
Keep in touch with us on social media:
Kate’s Bluesky ✦ https://bsky.app/profile/katerblossom.bsky.social
Emily’s Bluesky ✦ https://bsky.app/profile/aspecificegg.bsky.social
No Small Games Bluesky ✦ https://bsky.app/profile/nosmallgames.bsky.social
No Small Games Instagram ✦ https://www.instagram.com/nosmallgames
Want to learn more and weigh in on what games we should play in future episodes? Contact us and let us know what you’d like to see us play!
No Small Games is an indie game recap and review podcast brought to you by hosts Kate and Emily! They became friends while streaming on Twitch and bonded over their love of indie video games. In each episode of No Small Games, the two will discuss an indie game they both played independently. They’ll compare their experiences: the good, the bad, their most memorable moments of their playthroughs.
In this installment, you’ll hear their game review of Cairn, along with our guest, Adam, host of The Tier List.
Learn more about the podcast and its hosts on the About page.