Last night’s State of Play was an interesting one.
It was by no means short of bangers, but very few of PlayStation's recognisable first-party IPs made an appearance.
Team Asobi stopped by to announce that an additional five challenge levels will soon be landing in Astro Bot, next month to be exact.
Complete them and it “might lead to something really cool” according to the PlayStation Blog.
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Outside of Astro Bot though, it was mainly third-party IPs that populated the showcase.
007 First Light dropped its first trailer, while Silent Hill f granted fans a glimpse at its gameplay, plus Arc System Works unveiled Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls.
For me, it was a little game called Cairn that caught my eye.
Developed by The Game Bakers, Cairn is an upcoming rock climbing simulation adventure game that’s set to launch on PS5 and PC on 5 November 2025.
It’s one that, I’ll admit, looks pretty tense.
Players will assume control of Aava, a professional climber who is attempting to be the first person to summit Mount Kami.
Alongside climbing, players will have to manage Aava’s stamina, wellbeing, and posture, allowing her to set up camp to eat, rest, and heal when needed.
One wrong foothold or over-extension could result in Aava falling.
Oh, and there’s no UI. You’re going to have to judge all of this simply by focusing on Aava. Does she appear to be reaching too far? Are her limbs trembling? Is there sweat dripping from her forehead?
That’s not all as players will also discover the secrets of the mountain as Aava decides “the sacrifices she is willing to make” to reach the summit.
You see why I said the game sounds pretty tense. That being said, it also looks thrilling and I can’t wait to check it out.
That’s something I’ll be doing later today because Cairn has dropped a free demo which is available to play on PS5 right now.
Simply search Cairn on the PlayStation Store and you should locate it.
The demo lasts for about 45 minutes, granting you access to the opening of the game so give it a go ahead of Cairn’s full launch later this year.
Topics: PlayStation, PlayStation 5, Sony, Indie Games