Cairn's prickly protagonist serves a powerful purpose - Narrative Notebook #1

GameDeveloper.com launches Narrative Notebook, a new column analyzing storytelling craft in games. The debut examines Cairn's protagonist Aava, a prickly climber whose obsessive drive to summit creates moral complexity without subverting player agency. The piece explores how developers can craft nuanced characters while maintaining engaging gameplay.

Appeared in 2026-02-11.