Baby Steps Is Aggravating In All The Right Ways - Preview

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I always get excited whenever I see Devolver Digital announce new games, because they are usually some of the weirdest, hilarious experiences I can think of. Baby Steps fits that category perfectly. It's a weird physics-based walking simulator about a man who barely knows how to put one foot over the other, but now has to go on a journey to find a toilet. It's ridiculous, aggravating, and downright devastating, yet I found it hard not to stop playing.

The gameplay reminds me of games like I Am Bread and Surgeon Simulator. You control both of your feet individually and have to navigate over a multitude of obstacles. However, it's extremely easy to fall and lose balance. It's all physics-based, so you have to be careful about where you're stepping, at what angle, and decide the best course of action so you can get up without falling down.

It can be brutal. I fell so many times and lost a little bit of progress, while a couple of times, I fell all the way down the entire mountain due to some slippery mud. It felt like I was playing Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, where one false move could destroy all the progress you made. It's not as difficult, but there are some areas that truly were just crushing me because of one false move that would cause me to fall into the mud and scoot on down to the base of the mountain. In a way, that's part of the charm as well, but it was more brutal than not.

Still, I always found myself coming back. There's something so satisfying about getting over obstacles and strategically placing your feet on the rocks, branches, and planks that I needed to. It was easy to swap between feet and take things slow, but getting too cocky or going too quick would lead to my demise. But I was still having a blast, and I always found the motivation to get back up and keep trying. Plus, watching my big oaf fall flat on his way was hilarious.

I also enjoyed the world design and soundtrack, which was just weird as all hell. At times, it felt like a fever dream as I kept pushing forward, but it's exactly what I expected, and I loved it. The story is pretty basic too, but I found it hilarious whenever anyone came up to stop me from walking. The beginning of the game even has Jim, pictured below, encouraging me to piss in a bush while he watches,

I didn't play Baby Steps much on the Steam Deck, but since this build wasn't optimized for the device, but I do have hope for it. This would be awesome to enjoy on the go and feels great with a controller, so it's only a matter of time. I love this game so far though, and I can't wait to see how the rest of the game will be on release.

Baby Steps can be wishlisted on Steam now ahead of its September 8th launch.

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