PC Critic Reviews

Baby Steps is an infuriating ordeal of intentionally awkward physics that’s brutal, unbelievably stupid, and downright awesome.

Hilarious, bittersweet, surreal and rage-inducing all in equal measure, Baby Steps is a journey that you'll want to join Nate on.

Everything Baby Steps does, it executes with excellence, and I can’t think of anything else like it.

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 succeeds at everything it tries to do, and does so with very few blemishes. Foddy, Cuzzillo, and Boch were able to expand upon previous games like QWOP by bringing the subtext forward, creating an intriguing world, and giving us a flawed character that is more relatable the further into his journey you get. It's not easy, but the rules are made clear, so tackling and overcoming these challenges results in pure joy from beginning to end. It may end up being a footnote in the "walking simulator" and "puzzle platformer" genres, but I'll never think about walking the same way again.

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.

A Sisyphean challenge after which you'll never take pressing W to walk for granted again.

Baby Steps walks a fine line between frustration and accomplishment to provide a walking simulator and climbing experience quite unlike anything else.

Brutally frustrating, exasperating, and exhilarating, Baby Steps is a journey befitting the legacy of its creators. While the humor may be a bit too crass for some, there’s a surprisingly poignant narrative wrapped around a fairy tale in the bizarre, uncomfortable world Nate finds himself…and a constant reminder to get back up every time you fall, to continue putting one foot in front of the other. Hooroo.

Baby Steps is yet another example of a Bennett Foddy game that can test you, frustrate you, and make you laugh at the silliest situations.. The controls are fantastic, so it feels like they never fail you. The types of terrain and situations can be goofy and challenging. At the same time, there’s a message about growth and development that comes through that made me feel like I wasn’t just having an absolute ball flailing my way through strange spaces, but learning more about Nate and rooting for him in the process.