Baby Steps: A Rage Inducing, Beautiful Walk
Two Hours! Two whole hours of frustration, falling on my face, falling on my backside and just as I thought I was getting the hang of it falling into a stream that turned into a waterfall undoing all the progress that I had made and what did I do, checked yet another tantrum lying on the bank of the pond I was debating to live out my days in, got myself up and set off again up the mountain.
That's about the feel of Baby Steps, the latest physics-based game from the twisted minds of developers Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch and Bennett Foddy, a game where you fall down repeatedly but it is all about picking yourself up and moving forward.
You control Nate, a 30 something loser that still lives in his parents' basement and sports a filthy ginger neck beard. A not-so-subtle nod at the generic “gamer” stereotype, Nate is transported into a world sparsely occupied with some uniquely excitable characters and his only want is to get back home.
Moving in Baby Steps isn’t as easy as pushing forward and off you go, you need to use the triggers of your controller to lift each leg individually while simultaneously using the sticks to move it in the direction you want while also making sure you don’t lean to much one or another as you’ll topple over, oh and don’t forget to make sure you check where you’re placing your foot as you might slip on a slippery rock or not quite have that foothold you thought you had.
This is going to take some time to get used to and may be a barrier to some. It usually would be for me but the sheer sense of accomplishment I got when I found new ways to traverse the landscape in front of me has kept me pushing forward. As you progress you will find more and more to look for as the landscape is littered with different roots, special collectables and some unusual Aussies to help you along the way.
Once you get the hang of the controls Baby Steps isn’t too challenging, if you stay on the path. Don’t get me wrong it is a handful that I have yelled at and rage quite many times but kept coming back for more. Its true challenge comes when you stray or try to forge your own path to the next checkpoint. Along your journey you will be faced with a choice to keep on or try and climb a seemingly unclimbable structure for a collectable. I’ve not managed many but my first hat stayed with me for some time.
Baby Steps is one of those games that is easy to pick up, hard to master but once you do is deeply rewarding. The underlying tone to get up and keep on moving despite everything that has happened is a fantastic message to share in a world that is becoming more stagnated. Humour is dark and twisted with a uniquely Australian twang and more than the occasional head scratch moment.
At around the $30 mark here in Australia Baby Steps is accessible too many to many who may not normally look at a title like this, its learning curve allows you to get to a level of competency relatively quickly despite my opening statements as that was all a me and my rage problems….
Baby Steps is available now on PC and PS5, you will fall, you will rage, you may even ball up your fists and leave the room for a bit, but will you help Nate get back home?
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