As I fell down a mountain path or floated down a river, I couldn’t help but wonder what had led me to this experience in the first place, and why I had continued. Either way, I got up. Time and time again, one awkwardly placed foot at a time.
Get a move on
I would describe Baby Steps as a walking simulator published by Devolver Digital. It’s the latest project from a team including Gabe Cuzzillo and Maxi Boch, known for their work on Ape Out, as well as Bennet Foddy, whose last big hit, Getting Over It, left streamers and YouTubers around the world screaming in fury. If you are familiar with the latter game, you will probably either be put off or be extremely curious. Stick around a bit longer though; I don’t think this release is just here to make you doubt your sanity.
You play as Nate, an unemployed shut-in who is teleported to another world for some reason. There, he discovers that he must use a newfound power: walking. As the name suggests, this is a game that is literally about putting one foot in front of the other. You slowly but steadily scale a mountain and challenge the environment. The gameplay couldn’t be simpler. Right? But that would be the case if it wasn’t the first time that your player character had left the comfort of his own couch.
Both feet need to be lifted separately. Use the left trigger on your controller to lift the left leg, and the right trigger to lift the right leg. The analogue stick moves the leg in the position you want. That’s it! Now move it! Start making your way out of this place. Why? How? Don’t ask difficult questions — just go!
Step by step
That’s how Baby Steps eases you into things. After a brief and somewhat awkward cutscene — more on that later — you find yourself in a canyon. Using the skills that have just been explained to you, you must make your way out of it. I literally said out loud, ‘That seems easy!’, and then proceeded to stumble and fall on my face for the next ten minutes. One foot after another, I had to find whatever target they wanted me to. It was infuriating at first. I can’t remember the last time my wife laughed so hard at me failing at a game. But after this tutorial area, I kind of got the hang of walking. This is also where the game opens up a lot more. You see a light in the distance and know that’s where you need to go. How you walk towards it is up to you. This area shows how varied the game can be. You can follow the hiking trails or go off the beaten track.
Immediately, this opening up of the gameplay made it clear to me that Baby Steps wasn’t a one-trick pony that had put all its eggs in one basket. Although the movement options may seem limited, the fun comes from how you choose to implement them. Embrace the silliness and you will get the most out of it. Let me give you an example. After hiking a bit, I saw a hat in a tree and decided to reach it. It might have been important. I had to carefully make my way up the wall next to it, calculating every step, to retrieve my precious prize. It had been a long time since I had been so happy to find a cosmetic item in a game. But what did I discover? Each time I fell, the hat came off and I had to pick it up again. I picked it up time and time again to get it to the first checkpoint. Unfortunately, I lost it when I fell into the river a few areas later. I still haven’t got over this loss.
At least it gives me an excuse to talk about the world, though. Each area is unique and offers a different challenge. The mountain at the start, for example, has plenty of irritating rocks and mud patches, whereas the forest that follows is designed to make you lose track of your goal and your position on the map. This makes an experience that could otherwise have been frustrating bearable enough to see you through its nine to ten hours of gameplay.
Donkey talk
This brings me to my final talking point: the writing. In my opinion, it is the weakest part of the whole experience. As a reclusive character, Nate is extremely awkward in all his interactions with other characters. The game tries to be funny, but to me none of the jokes worked. And when the NPCs suddenly became human donkey hybrids without pants on, I completely lost interest. It all felt random to me, as if it had just been constructed to provide something to break the tension while you’re falling. I mostly used these moments to take a break and check my phone.
I did wonder if the game was an analogy for the struggle against addiction, but isn’t it enough for a game to simply be a funny experience about climbing a mountain? As with Getting Over It, this game is already played by plenty of streamers and YouTubers, so watching someone struggle is entertaining enough in itself.
Conclusion
Baby Steps made me feel like a clumsy, awkward human being, and that is the biggest compliment I can give it. Despite the lacklustre writing, the gameplay more than makes up for it. Using a simple gameplay mechanic in varied environments allowed me to shape my own experience in a fun way while keeping me on my toes throughout. If you’re interested in Baby Steps but don’t want to experience the challenge first-hand, I’d recommend looking for someone streaming the game. Either way, I have no doubt you will have fun.
