Talk:Cairn (video game)/GA1

GA review

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

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Nominator: OceanHok (talk · contribs) 13:17, 2 March 2026 (UTC)

Reviewer: AllWeKnowOfHeaven (talk · contribs) 19:32, 4 March 2026 (UTC)

Starting review.AllWeKnowOfHeaven (talk) 19:32, 4 March 2026 (UTC)

Hello! Any updates here? @AllWeKnowOfHeaven, @OceanHok. 11WB (talk) 08:29, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

Hi @11WB: I'm almost done putting together my notes but I wanted to give this a thorough review. I'm still under 7 days on this (but just barely). AllWeKnowOfHeaven (talk) 16:31, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

Didn't intend for that to rush you. WP:NO DEADLINE after all! 11WB (talk) 17:00, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

Overall

GA review (see here for what the criteria are, and here for what they are not)

1. It is reasonably well written.

   a (prose, spelling, and grammar): b (MoS for lead, layout, word choice, fiction, and lists):

   n

2. It is factually accurate and verifiable, as shown by a source spot-check.

   a (reference section): b (inline citations to reliable sources): c (OR): d (copyvio and plagiarism):

   n

3. It is broad in its coverage.

   a (major aspects): b (focused):

   y

4. It follows the neutral point of view policy.

   Fair representation without bias:

   y

5. It is stable.

   No edit wars, etc.:

   y

6. It is illustrated by images and other media, where possible and appropriate.

   a (images are tagged and non-free content have non-free use rationales): b (appropriate use with suitable captions):

   y

7. Overall:

   Pass/Fail:

This page was last edited on 13 July 2025, at 14:14.

Lede

The lede has a magazine tone, describing the game in subjective, qualitative terms.

• In the game, the player assumes control of Aava, a professional mountaineer who seeks to summit the mysterious Mount Kami. > “Players control Aava, a professional mountaineer who wants to climb the mysterious Mount Kami.”
• While her journey is mostly solitary, she also encounters other climbers and inhabitants on the mountain and uncovers remnants of past expeditions along with a long-lost civilization.
• It also features a weather system and a day-night cycle, all of which affect the difficulty. “which affects the difficulty.”
• The team was inspired by climbing documentaries and The Summit of the Gods while creating the game. They also consulted alpinists and visited Aiguille du Midi to understand more about mountaineering. > “The development team was inspired by climbing documentaries and the manga series The Summit of the Gods. They also consulted alpinists and visited Aiguille du Midi to learn about mountaineering.”
• The game was powered by Unity Can you say something more descriptive than “powered by”?

Gameplay

• Cairn is a rock climbing simulation video game played from a third-person perspective. Not in the source.
• to become the first person to summit a fictional mountain named Mount Kami > “to become the first person to reach the summit of a fictional mountain named Mount Kami.”
• While her backpack has limited space, she can find resources necessary for her survival while exploring Mount Kami. > “Aava has a backpack with a limited amount of space that she can use to store survival resources that she finds while exploring.”
• prompting her to explore off the beaten path to look for collectibles. > “prompting her to explore other areas to look for collectibles.”
• Cairn is also an adventure game > Cairn also has adventure game elements. Aava will discover the secrets of the mountain and decide on the sacrifices she will have to make to achieve her dream”
• Aava will discover the secrets of the mountain and decide on the sacrifices she will have to make to achieve her dream. Very close wording of .
• She will encounter other climbers attempting to summit the mountain, discover traces of past expeditions, and find remnants of a long-lost Troglodyte civilization. Her friends also leave messages for her through her Climbot. Through interactions with these non-playable characters and visiting locations of interest, players will understand more about Aava's motivations and background. This reads like a dustjacket for a game.
• Her friends also leave messages for her through her Climbot. Not in the source.

Development and release

• Move the announcement and release to the bottom so that it’s in chronological order.
• Cairn was developed by The Game Bakers. Development of the game started in 2020, and a team of 25 people worked on it. > “Cairn was developed by The Game Bakers. Development of the game started in 2020, and involved a team of 25 people.”
• Emeric Thoa served as its creative director, while comic book artist Mathieu Bablet was recruited for its art direction and story. “Emeric Thoa served as its creative director, while comic book artist Mathieu Bablet served as lead writer and art director.”
• The Game Bakers announced Cairn in June 2024 for PlayStation 5 and Windows. The source says it was announced for PC and unspecified consoles.
• More than 600,000 players tried the demo. Add “as of October 2025”.
• The game also explores the darker side of mountaineering, including the dangers and isolation associated with it > “The game also explores the dangers and isolation associated with mountaineering.”
• and the team also attempted to ascend Aiguille du Midi themselves. Why did they attempt to ascend it?
• though this idea was scrapped and relegated to a side mode after realizing that this punishing difficulty would not appeal to all players. > “though they decided not to incorporate this idea after realizing that this increased difficulty would not appeal to all players, and instead turned it into a side mode.”
• Each rock face and its handholds are handcrafted by the team. > “ Each rock face and its handholds was manually designed by the developers.”
• Each rock face and its handholds are handcrafted by the team. Where in the source does it say this? I couldn’t find it but I might have missed it.
• The team collaborated with Lukas Julian Lentz (known for his work on Cocoon) and Martin Stig Andersen (known for his work on Limbo and Inside) for Cairn's audio.
• Gildaa also recorded the efforts of Aava while she is climbing, including her breathing and screaming sounds. > “Gildaa also recorded the sounds made by Aava while she is climbing, including her breathing and screaming sounds.”

Reception

• James Pickard from TechRadar noted that the story was well-written and that its characters were "compelling".[40] Borger noted that the game's environmental storytelling was "moving" and noted that they "recur and build on themselves" as players progress. “Noted” is used three times in a row, can we switch up the phrasing?
• Later, a week after launch, the game sold more than 300,000 copies,[45] reaching the minimum goal of the estimated target. > “It had sold more than 300,000 copies a week after launch.”

Closing comments

Ping me when you've made these changes. AllWeKnowOfHeaven (talk) 16:59, 10 March 2026 (UTC)

Thank you for the review. I am a little bit busy in real life so I may address the issue later in a week or two. OceanHok (talk) 15:02, 12 March 2026 (UTC)

Please note that the reviewer is blocked as a sockpuppet. Tbhotch^™ (CC BY-SA 4.0) 05:21, 14 March 2026 (UTC)

@Tbhotch: - so do we continue the review, or just let someone else review it? OceanHok (talk) 05:09, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

I'd recommend you to contact ask for a new reviewer at WT:GAN. Tbhotch^™ (CC BY-SA 4.0) 05:12, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

I have addressed most of the issues raised above anyway. OceanHok (talk) 05:35, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.