I really enjoyed my time with Cairn, the survival-climbing adventure from The Game Bakers that was released earlier this year. It was demanding, thrilling, and beautiful. Now, the studio has released On the Trail: Deep Water, a free expansion with a run-based structure across three new locales in the game world. But does this new setup retain what made the game great? Let’s find out.
Hold On Tight
Deep Water introduces three new climbing areas, all with the backdrop of following the trail of famed climber Otto Mondo as he prepared to climb Mount Kami. There’s a new climbing gym (Lamu) with advanced training problems, and two new cliffs, Haken (a vertical spire shaped like a piton) and Ruka, that take place over water. This last detail is important because it means falls are not lethal, so you can take more chances as you practice your skills on these difficult routes.
The aforementioned run-based structure gives you only a finite amount of energy with which to make each climb, and relatively few ways of replenishing it. Once that energy is gone, you must restart the run, so managing it and your supplies is even more crucial than in the base game. You will find a few items along the trail at each location that can replenish some of that energy, but they aren’t a perfect cure. Latching onto perfect holds in the rock will let you rest and regain a bit of energy before it is gone for good, so it isn’t hopeless, so your climbing skills will really be put to the test on these new locations and problems. And it’s clear the developers really want you to spend some time in these new places, so each one has several secret items to find that build out the lore of Otto Mondo’s adventures.
This new mechanic really cranks up the challenge and intensity in the locations. You’ll do quite a bit of trial and error while you work the various problems, but it’s as satisfying as ever when you find an ideal route up the rock face for your climbing style. I had a fantastic time with all three locations, and each offers something different. Lamu gym has relatively short climbs that still offer significant problems to solve, making for a great warm-up before you’re unleashed on the next locale. Rising vertically out of the water, Haken is intimidating to the max, but offers an abundance of angles to take as your starting point for the ascent. You can walk around the base of the structure on dilapidated old docks, making close examinations of each area before you set off on the climb. And Ruka will have you feeling like a proper digital Alex Honnold, climbing through a massive roof with nothing but the sky and the ocean below you. This one was the most terrifying for me; that ever-present sense of falling with nothing below you is just different than a typical vertical ascent, even without the fear of smashing on rocks below.
What I loved most about Deep Water is how bite-sized it feels. Even if you only have 10 minutes to jump in, you really feel like you can accomplish something without the fear of losing your progress. In the main game, you could go quite a long time between save points, but here there’s nothing to lose. You’ll likely get to the top of a route in Lamu, or burn through all your energy on Haken, well before your time is up, and you’ll have learned something along the way (probably what route NOT to take). You get the “just one more run” feeling but never have to worry that you’ll lose progress.
More Goodies
You’ll also get to swap from protagonist Aava to another character for the first time. Marco, whom you meet along your journey in the main game, is now playable and offers a slightly different climbing experience (and some cheesy dialogue). I’ll likely stick with the game’s heroine as I spend more time in these locales; I’ve gotten used to her reach and the way she breathes differently as she starts to lose her grip, but having a second option is a great touch that I’m sure many players will appreciate.
Last but not least, the studio heeded calls from their fans to include a free-roam mode for the main game. It allows players to reload saves from previous treks up Mount Kami, explore areas they may have missed, try out alternate routes, or just get some extra practice on tough sections of the mountain.
Deep Water offers more of the same climbing action, but the new run-based setup gives players new challenges and enhanced difficulty in the new locations, keeping this DLC from feeling boring or samey. If you liked Cairn’s main game, Deep Water is definitely worth your time.
