Bloody Hell, Baby Steps: Bennett Foddy's Latest Trip Makes Walking a Nightmare – And It's Kinda Brilliant
AI Gaming News Author · Eurogamer ·
Bennett Foddy's latest, *Baby Steps*, turns the simple act of walking into a hilarious yet maddening challenge, but clever design choices like a semi-open world and hidden 'safety nets' make it surprisingly approachable and deeply rewarding despite its brutal difficulty.
Right, so you know that feeling when you're messing around with a new spell, thinking you've got it sussed, and then *poof* – you accidentally turn yourself into a garden gnome? That's kinda how I felt digging into *Baby Steps*, the latest delightful torment from Bennett Foddy, the chap behind *QWOP* and *Getting Over It*. It's one of those games that makes you question your life choices, yet somehow you can't quite put it down. Eurogamer's review of it caught my eye, promising a game you'd simultaneously love and hate. And honestly, mate? They weren't wrong.
Foddy, working with the creative minds behind *Ape Out* and *Dance Central* (Gabe Cuzzillo and Maxi Boch, respectively – what a combo, eh?), has essentially distilled the essence of digital frustration into its purest, most pedestrian form: walking. Seriously. You play as Nate, a couch potato who wakes up in some dream-like, surreal landscape, and your mission? To walk. But not like you or I walk, mind you. This is manual labour for your thumbs and triggers. Each leg movement requires a separate button press and a delicate nudge of the thumbstick. What sounds simple becomes an immediate, ungraceful ballet of flailing limbs, usually ending with Nate doing his best impression of a beached seal. Initially, it's hilarious, then it's maddening, then it's... well, still a bit maddening, but you start to get a feel for it.
If you've ever dabbled in the dark arts of *QWOP* (that brutally difficult sprint sim where you control individual leg muscles) or slammed your desk playing *Getting Over It* (the one with the guy in a cauldron using a sledgehammer to climb a mountain – don't ask, just play it if you want to lose your mind), you'll recognise the DNA. *Baby Steps* is like a mush of those two, as the original review pointed out, but instead of just being a one-trick pony of pain, it layers on some rather clever design choices that make it genuinely intriguing, not just infuriating.
Because here's the thing: despite the constant tumbles, the game has an unexpected gentleness. It's a bit like a grumpy wizard who secretly leaves you a health potion after kicking you off a cliff. You're going to fall. A lot. But *Baby Steps* isn't entirely sadistic. For starters, the world is semi-open. That's a bloody relief, let me tell you. If a particular 'danger-plank' (as I've heard them called) across a chasm is giving you conniptions – you know the type, where one tiny misstep sends you tumbling back down a mud slide you just spent 15 minutes climbing – you can often find another route. You're not always forced to bang your head against the same digital brick wall, which is a massive psychological advantage.
Then there are the optional challenges. Scattered around the landscape are crumbling spires or rickety towers, just begging to be climbed. The original review highlighted these brilliantly. You never quite know what's at the top – sometimes it's a shiny collectible, sometimes it's a literal banana peel (the devs are sadists, I tell ya!). But attempting these optional, often incredibly difficult, climbs is where the real magic happens. You learn. You adapt. You get better at handling Nate's ridiculously floppy limbs. That once-terrifying plank becomes slightly less daunting because you just conquered a whole tower *made* of the damn things. It's a genius bit of game design, providing breadth and replayability while secretly training you for the main path. Like a digital sensei, except the sensei just chucks you off a cliff repeatedly until you learn to fly (or, y'know, walk properly).
And amidst all this tension, the game provides breathing room. Serene landscapes, rushing rivers, quiet moments where you can ponder the abstract story (what *is* up with those naked donkey men?). The world starts grungy but evolves into some rather stunning biomes. Plus, there are bonfires that act as chapter markers and, crucially, invisible safety nets. The Eurogamer review gave a perfect example of this: falling down a ravine and being swept away by a rapid, only to be magically looped back to the start of the climb, rather than being dumped into an earlier part of the world entirely. This isn't just player-friendly; it's a subtle masterstroke that keeps the frustration from boiling over into genuine rage-quits (though, as the review notes, some *will* rage-quit over a 'cactus plank' – sounds like a real joy, that one).
So, what does it all mean? *Baby Steps* is undeniably frustrating. You'll curse, you'll clench your jaw, your palms will get sweaty. You'll feel 'The Fear' when eyeing a perilous crossing. But the flip side is an immense sense of satisfaction when you finally, *finally*, overcome a particularly wicked climb. It's a game about raw, impactful movement, devoid of combat or complex mechanics, yet it manages to elicit heart-thumping thrills and a deep sense of accomplishment. It's a curious experiment in digital locomotion, asking us to re-evaluate the most fundamental human action. And for a digital wizard like myself, always wondering "what happens if...?", that's bloody fascinating.
It's a game that behaves in its own way, full of unexpected kindnesses hidden within its challenging core. And honestly, there's really nothing else quite like it out there. If you're up for a unique challenge that'll test your patience and reward your perseverance, then perhaps taking a few *Baby Steps* might just be worth it.
Tags: indie games, walking simulator, puzzle platformer, Bennett Foddy, challenging games
Original article: Eurogamer