Baby Steps Reviews
Baby Steps is an infuriating ordeal of intentionally awkward physics that’s brutal, unbelievably stupid, and downright awesome.
Everything Baby Steps does, it executes with excellence, and I can’t think of anything else like it.
It's impossible to hate a game that offers experiences like these.
You'll painfully wander aimlessly for hours. You'll cringe hard at the "humor" that gets way too gratuitous, gross, and vulgar completely unjustifiably. This becomes a mostly mean-spirited game that even wants to drive you insane with the soundtrack. Laugh and watch someone else experience it if you want to, but do not play it yourself.
What we have at the end of the day is a strange, silly game that is a little too sure of itself to stick its landing effectively. It stretches itself too thin to be consistently funny and its story is clumsily told despite its put-on air of poignance. It has its moments though, and for as grumpy as I was by the end I still look back at its early hours with some fondness. Watching a dumpy nerd slide down a muddy hill is pretty funny the first few times; it just doesn’t stay funny as long as Baby Steps wants it to.
Baby Steps has a simple premise, but a lot of depth. You’re pushed to be patient and persistent by the mechanics. In fact, the whole game is built around punishing you for being foolish or hasty. Every character is begging you to relax, take in the scenery, and have a good time. If you listen, you just might enjoy yourself. But make no mistake, this game can be crazy frustrating. Tiny mistakes can lead to gigantic consequences, after all. If you’re patient enough to master the deranged control scheme, you’ll be shocked by what you can accomplish in Baby Steps.
Baby Steps is more than it first appears, offering up a heartfelt story about a man grappling with his insecurities as he's forced to keep going. The intentionally tricky walking and climbing is a lot of fun to grapple with, and there's plenty of silly stuff to discover in the open world setting. Your mileage may vary due to various factors, not least the amount of punishment you'll take as you scramble up the mountain, but it's a journey worth taking for those willing to persist.
And love Baby Steps I did. There are few ways this game could better achieve its aims; in what it is trying to be Baby Steps approaches perfection. Whether what it is trying to be is for you, well that depends on if you feel that a rapturous level of self satisfaction is worth braving a storm of intense frustration and inconsolable rage. For those with the resolve (or stubbornness, or self loathing, or masochism), you won’t find a better test of all of them than Baby Steps. If you have the resilience of a damp tissue and capacity for frustration of a tired toddler, keep on walking by
Baby Steps, no pun intended, seems like a step backwards for Bennett Foddy and team. Losing the battle between fun and frustrating, frustrating and annoying, always wins when it comes to Baby Steps.
Part physics-based, slapstick open world walking sim, part satire of the worst parts of modern gaming, Baby Steps is a stumblecore banger that only those with a penchant for punishment and hyper-realistic donkey dicks will manage.
Challenging you to make your way up a mountain, Baby Steps is likely to be one of the most divisive games of the year. With its hands-off approach, you're left to find your own fun as you ascend, and struggle with the simple act of walking. Ultimately, it just feels a little too aimless and punishing for its own good.
Baby Steps is a unique, yet somewhat divisive experience. Its sarcastic humor, awkward controls, and experimental approach will appeal to those who enjoy unusual challenges and don't mind getting angry to overcome them. For everyone else, the game may simply be frustrating.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Your mileage with Baby Steps will vary greatly. The heavy use of physics and intentionally awkward controls make a game that is designed to be frustrating, even when you feel like you're starting to master the mechanics. This frustration has the potential to be absolutely hilarious if you enjoy misfortune. The absurdity of the cut scenes and how you trigger them only makes the game even funnier. The lack of expected quality of life features somehow makes the game feel more enjoyable. If you frustrate easily and lack the patience to deal with intentional jank, then this game isn't for you. If you are prone to laughing at silly mistakes, then you'll be rewarded with a distinct experience that's worth checking out.
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Review in Italian | Read full review
Baby Steps presents itself as one of the most curious games of the year, but it doesn't fully take advantage of the tools at its disposal. The experience quickly becomes repetitive, and the gameplay can become very frustrating for the player.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Baby Steps is a game that I got so much more enjoyment from than I ever expected. It will live long in my memory for being the funniest game I’ve ever played. Although I recognise that it won’t be to everybody’s taste, I believe it sets a new bar for comedy in video games and for that reason alone is worth checking out.
Baby Steps is clear with its intent on telling a well-grounded story about a manchild who needs to challenge his insecurities. The gameplay that's tacked on and made with the intent of making the act of walking harder than it should does come across as hugely repetitive and tiresome though.
Baby Steps is like Cilantro. You will ether love it or you’ll hate it because it tastes like soap, which in this case will be the taste of rage and frustration. There are no upgrades, no lives, no game over screen, no skill tree, no map, no waypoints. There is nothing but you, the mountain and physics. As much as Baby Steps is about your dexterity with the controller, it’s twice as much about how well you can deal with adversity and show resiliency to keep going. The gameplay isn’t likely to surprise and will absolutely please those who are specifically coming for it, but the story of Baby Steps stole the show with an unexpectedly poignant journey about the human condition. If there was ever a quintessential rage platformer, Baby Steps would be it.
Baby Steps is an amazing game that very much fits my vibe in the simulation genre where the main mechanic is satisfying and the journey is just as enjoyable. It’s not a perfect game, but it does so much right that I can’t wait to play more of it at my own pace.
I’ve played my fair share of games since my short lived QWOP playing years days minutes. Some challenging, some not so much, but nothing has brought me back to the same chaos and frustration like Baby Steps. Baby Steps takes the awkward, clumsy movement of QWOP and combines it with funny conversations, beautiful scenery, and a gentle reminder to focus on the journey, not the destination. To laugh though the failures, and embrace the struggle. That even baby steps, are progress.