Out now, Cairn: Mathair’s Curse looks like a Scottish Undertale
Looking for a gritty, hard-hitting game that delves deep into Scottish history, telling the true story of the Highlands? Cairn: Mathair’s Curse is not that game; instead, it looks like a silly Scottish Undertale/Earthbound mash-up, and we’re absolutely here for that.
From solo dev Ross McRitchie, it casts you as a young boy battling a conspiracy in the land of Albaness. Forget Still Wakes the Deep’s Lovecraftian nasties, here you’ll be taking on wild haggis, sentient stop signs and more. We wouldn’t be surprised if the Loch Ness monster gets a look in.
Its developer calls Cairn: Mathair’s Curse a ‘Scottish JRPG’ which might seem like a contradiction in terms, but SRPG isn’t a distinct enough genre – yet. The good news is that, unlike some JRPGs, McRitchie has confirmed it doesn’t have random encounters, and that every enemy can be seen on screen.
You can watch the trailer above. And, in case you’re wondering (we know we were), McRitchie does appear to actually be Scottish, it’s not a pseudonym adopted after he found a tartan cap in a charity shop. Cairn: Mathair’s Curse is inspired by life in the Scottish Highlands in the early 2000s, and we’ve got our fingers crossed that deep fried Mars Bars appear as in-game power ups.
McRitchie doesn’t have any immediate plans for a console release, but you can pick up Cairn: Mathair’s Curse on Steam. It’s priced at £16.99/$19.99 with a 10% launch discount bringing it down to £15.29/$17.99.
