British Cypriot actress Sophia Eleni is entering a bold new phase in her career as the lead in ‘Cairn’, a survival climber video game from acclaimed studio The Game Bakers. Known for her roles in ‘Call the Midwife’ and ‘Casualty’, Eleni now brings her voice and physical performance to the role of Aava—a driven professional climber determined to be the first to summit the fictional and perilous Mount Kami. The game, which blends tactile climbing mechanics with a rich emotional story, has just unveiled its cast ahead of its official showcase at the Tribeca Games Festival—where ‘Cairn’ has also gone on to win The Games Award.
“I’m thrilled to finally share that I voice Aava,” Eleni announced on social media. “It’s been months of intense work—physical preparation, voice recording, and diving deep into this woman’s journey. ‘Cairn’ is something really special.” In ‘Cairn’, players control Aava’s every move as she scales the brutal mountain solo. Aava must confront not only physical dangers but also the psychological toll of extreme isolation. The game poses a central question: how far would you go to reach the top?
For Eleni, who recently completed filming on the horror feature ‘Bone Keeper’ alongside ‘The Lord of the Rings’’ John Rhys-Davies, Cairn felt like a natural evolution. “I seem to get cast a lot in these action-horror type roles, which is funny considering I’m not exactly Bear Grylls,” she jokes. “But I love leaning into that raw physicality, that survival instinct—it’s where so many human truths come out.”
In Bone Keeper, which hits cinemas this autumn, Eleni plays Nadia, a tenacious young woman who ventures into remote caves with friends only to be hunted by a mysterious creature. “There’s a toughness and emotional grit to Nadia that’s very different from Aava, but both characters are about resilience—what we endure and who we become under pressure,” Eleni says.
Filming Bone Keeper was physically demanding, and so was Cairn. “We were filming in wild, rugged landscapes… crawling and slipping in mud,” she recalls of Bone Keeper. That real-world experience helped ground her performance in Cairn’s recording sessions, where every movement, stumble, and climb had to feel believable. “You get to explore every facet of human nature with these kinds of roles.”
Eleni’s commitment to storytelling has been recognised before—she won five Best Actress awards for her role in the WWII film ‘The Shamrock Spitfire’ on Apple TV. “I’ve always been drawn to characters who feel resilient, complex and full of humanity,” she says. “Aava is exactly that. She’s not climbing just for glory—there’s pain, loss, ambition, and something deeply personal driving her.”
With the cast officially announced and anticipation building ahead of its November 2025 release on PC and PlayStation 5, ‘Cairn’ is expected to make waves in the gaming world. Developed by The Game Bakers, known for ‘Furi and Haven’, the game merges cinematic narrative, intricate climbing mechanics, and striking artwork from comic artist Mathieu Bablet. It promises not only a gripping gameplay experience, but a poignant exploration of identity and endurance.
Next up for Eleni is the psychological horror As Night Falls, premiering later this year in Leicester Square, where she once again takes centre stage. But for now, it’s the summit of Mount Kami—and the lonely path to get there—that defines her most transformative performance to date.
