Baby Steps: More Than 'Twitch Slop,' It's a Wild Trip Back to What Makes Games *Feel* Great
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Jeff dives into *Baby Steps*, calling out critics who label it 'Twitch slop' and arguing it's a profound, Souls-like journey in clumsy exploration that reconnects players with the wonder of challenging game mechanics, echoing Rock Paper Shotgun's insightful defense.
Alright, mate, gather 'round, because I've been tinkering with a rather curious digital artifact this week, and bloody hell, it’s wilder than it first appeared. We're talking about *Baby Steps*, the latest from Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, and the infamous Bennett Foddy – yes, *that* Foddy, the wizard behind digital torment like *Getting Over It*. And let me tell you, this isn't just another game; it's a wonderfully peculiar experiment in human-computer interaction that seems to be dividing the internet faster than a wizard duel over the last mana potion.
The original scriveners over at Rock Paper Shotgun, particularly Nic Reuben, threw down the gauntlet, calling out anyone who’d dare label *Baby Steps* as mere 'Twitch slop.' And you know what? After some serious spelunking into the game's mechanics and the discourse surrounding it, I'm absolutely with them. It seems some folks have simply let their sense of wonder atrophy, like a forgotten limb in the astral plane.
So, what's the fuss? *Baby Steps* puts you in the wobbly boots of Nate, a chap who, for reasons yet unknown, has to learn to walk. Again. Every single step is a deliberate input. Think of it as a QWOPlike, but instead of just flopping about for laughs, there's a world to explore, an objective to – maybe – achieve, and a profound, almost spiritual, journey of clumsy self-discovery. It's like someone cast a 'Gravity-Amplification-on-Feet' spell, and now we're all paying the price.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting, especially for those of us who appreciate the arcane arts of game design. Nic (from RPS, bless their curious soul) likened the feeling of *Baby Steps* to their first jaunt through *Dark Souls*' Lordran. And you know what? That’s not just hyperbole, that’s some clever observation. We’re not talking about combat or stat sheets here, no. We’re talking about the *psychogeographical profile* – the sense of a vast, decaying, interconnected purgatory that invites you in with one hand while trying to throttle you with the other. The grey-green palette, the sense of endless space, the weight of history gone to ruin... it all sings that familiar, haunting tune.
And the yearning for a 'god mode'? Oh, I get it. Every adventurer, at some point, wishes they could just float disembodied past the traps and pitfalls, rather than clambering through the muck with a character who feels less like a hero and more like a sentient, onesie-clad potato sack. But that longing, that exquisite frustration, is precisely what makes *Baby Steps* what it is. It's the digital equivalent of trying to explain advanced quantum physics to a particularly stubborn squirrel – utterly frustrating, yet oddly compelling in its challenge.
Speaking of frustration, the game's take on the classic 'Soulsian boss runback' is something else. Instead of a boss, it’s often a seemingly simple object – say, a cup atop a cart. The goal is clear, the path fraught with peril (mostly in the form of Nate's own two feet), and the failure is inevitable. You slip, you slide, you fall, you pick yourself up, you dust yourself off, and you try again. It’s a microcosm of perseverance, distilled into a single, infuriatingly tactile loop. And when you finally master a few footholds, you feel like you've unlocked a secret spell, only to have the game pull the rug out from under you with a slippery slope and a 'trophy cup' that disappears after a particularly humiliating fall (and an extended joke about... well, let's just say Nate has a bladder). Foddy, you magnificent digital mischief-maker!
This all brings us to the 'Twitch slop' accusation. Honestly, it made me spill my digital tea. To label an interactive experience as 'not really a videogame, more of a streaming curiosity' in 2025? Bloody hell, that's like saying a magical potion isn't really a potion because it tastes funny. It reveals a narrow, almost atrophied definition of what a game *can* be. Where's the 'shootman'? Where's the 'number go up'? If it doesn't fit neatly into a pre-defined box of 'what makes a good game,' then it's dismissed.
But that's the danger, isn't it? When we approach every new creation, every innovative spell cast by indie devs, through the lens of what *might* appeal to an audience, we miss the truly personal, intimate experiences. *Baby Steps* isn't about numbers or leaderboards; it’s about the raw, sometimes humiliating, experience of control – or lack thereof. It's about learning to pilot a 'flesh mech,' as Nic so aptly put it, rediscovering muscles your brain hasn't used in years. It's a rhythm game disguised as a walking simulator, a profound challenge hidden beneath layers of comical clumsiness.
So, if you’re looking for something genuinely different, something that challenges your preconceived notions of what a game should be, *Baby Steps* might just be your next adventure. It asks you to embrace failure, to find wonder in the most mundane (and clumsy) of movements, and to rediscover the joy of simply *trying*. Don't let your digital sense of wonder gather dust, mate. Go fall over a bunch, get in the dirt, and tell me what you find. Because sometimes, the most profound experiences happen when no one's watching, and you're just there, flailing beautifully in the digital mud. Who knows, you might even stumble upon a new way to enchant your gaming heart.
*Original insights from Nic Reuben's piece on Rock Paper Shotgun, who clearly knows a thing or two about digital tea leaves.*
Tags: indie games, masocore, game design, player experience, gaming culture
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun