Cairn, the free solo climbing game from The Game Bakers, is a pretty punishing experience. Part of this is the multitude of systems that need to be rigorously maintained to keep forward progression at a maximum. In there is one that can be easy to miss, and that is maintaining your hands, which will get cut up on the face of the mountain as the lead character Aava scales along them. This has a large influence on grip strength, which is a significant stat if you plan to make any progress. This is why climbing tape is so important for fixing this issue.
Checking your backpack, you will notice that climbing tape takes up space, but unlike food or health items, you cannot use it here. Actually, there is a separate screen you need to go to that is dedicated to the application of the climbing tape. There are four options for holding the D-pad directions to access several functions, like the backpack. Holding L2/LT will switch this screen to additional options, one of which showcases a hand that indicates where you need to go.
Here, Aava will bring both her hands in front of the camera, where the player can look over her fingers. Here, each hand will be given a rating, with your grip strength outlined on the top of the screen. While it is good to know conditions, there are pretty obvious indicators when your finger might need tape. A finger with a little blood isn’t bad, but a finger with visible gashes definitely needs to be wrapped. Selecting the look option will have her move individual fingers so that the player can individually wrap them.
One unit of climbing tape is used for each finger you wrap, and the player needs to manually pick the finger, then manually wrap the tape around the finger using the left stick. The tape will be visually wrapped with the blood gone, indicating you are good to go. Each hand will be maxed at excellent condition, with maximum grip being the best grip strength you can have. Now you are good to go.
Climbing tape does not last forever, so it is good to check it and maintain it along your climb. In the top left of the screen, an indicator that showcases a similar hand image to that of the option to enter the mode that will pop up, indicating you should probably address your hands before attempting to scale your next wall. The player will also unlock the Nurse trophy/achievement for tapping fingers 20 times.
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