Baby Steps Review – Tiny Missteps, Huge Consequences

Baby Steps Review

If you’ve played any games from Bennett Foddy before, you kind of know what you’re in for. Moving is going to be hard, progress will be slow, and the rewards will be nebulous. Baby Steps is his biggest game yet, and it’s also the weirdest. And the nastiest. Definitely leave that nudity toggle off unless you’re feeling extremely adventurous. Beyond that, this is an incredibly frustrating yet rewarding game that I couldn’t get enough of.

You play as Nate, a couch potato incapable of surviving the real world. So it’s a terrible shock when he’s dumped at the base of a mountain with no option but to start walking. There is no one on Earth with functioning legs who is worse at walking than Nate. Each leg must be manually lifted, aimed, and placed every single time. No exceptions whatsoever. I fell on my face every step or two for the first few minutes. And then I only beefed it every fifth or sixth step for the first hour. Getting better is slow going, is what I’m saying.

Eventually you more or less get the hang of manual locomotion. You can travel great distances while only losing your footing once or twice. This is when Baby Steps hits you with your first incline. Nate is hot garbage at navigating hills, of course. From there, you encounter narrow paths, slippery sand, and rushing waters. The moment you start climbing for real, your punishment for failure gets more intense.

Incredibly Frustrating Falls

There were multiple falls that took me hundreds of feet down. Especially if you’re crossing running water when it happens. Good lord, a fall like that is almost enough to make you pitch your controller at the nearest wall. You land on your ass, tumble, roll, and plummet, swearing and groaning the whole way. Nate’s ratty grey onesie takes a lot of punishment over the course of the game. At that point, all you can do is try again. There are no save points, no fast travel systems, and no simple shortcuts. You’ve just gotta pick yourself up and keep trudging onward.

Mastering this game is a mix of skill and patience. You need to take things very slowly at a lot of crucial points, and a misstep can prove utterly disastrous. The mountain does level out in several places, which is a huge relief. But there are still a ton of spots that punish you harshly for putting a foot down wrong. Thankfully, the mountain in question is quite beautiful.

Lovely Weather For It

Baby Steps doesn’t have the most impressive graphics, to be clear. The visuals are pretty standard. But the effort required to get to these scenic spots is so tremendous that you can’t help appreciating them once you get there. I sighed in total contentment once I reached my first plateau. Finally, a single mistake wouldn’t set me back twenty minutes or more. I almost wept at the sight of it.

On top of the lovely views, Baby Steps is also really funny. The dialogue between Nate and every other character is incredibly organic and also a little unhinged. Nate is incapable of accepting any kind of help, which will at times have you howling at your monitor. Not that he has any pockets, but you couldn’t have taken the map? Take the map, Nate! There’s also a heaping helping of hog, hence the nudity toggle. If that’s your thing, you’re in luck! Otherwise, definitely leave that toggle turned off. No one needs to be jumpscared by dong.

Unexpectedly Funny

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.

***A Steam key was provided by the publisher***