Baby Steps follows the literal footsteps of Nate, an unemployed, awkward, dishevelled, and overweight 35-year-old man, who somehow gets transported into another world and discovers that the simple task of walking might just get him home… The only problem is that he’s got to learn the art of putting one foot in front of the other.
Developers Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, and Bennett Foddy (Foddy was one of the developers of the famous internet game QWOP) have created a world that is somehow so visually aesthetic and genuinely breathtaking, while at the same time being so frustratingly addictive.
The physics-based game not only takes Nate on a journey through uncovering what it means to be alive, but it also takes users on a similar emotional journey. You’ll laugh, cry (in resentment), sometimes even scream in pure anger, but the game has a surprising charm that leaves you somehow wanting more.
How Did We Get Here?
The game opens up to what looks like the basement of Nate’s parents’ house, where we can safely assume he lives. The room would be the definition of a man cave; sunken in couch, TV, laptop, gaming consoles in tow, food scraps everywhere, and an unmade bed off to the side. His parents are bickering about the state of their son and his lacklustre life, when we suddenly get shifted into this new world, learning to walk for the first time through genuinely breathtaking flora and fauna on this misty and mostly secluded path.
The goal of the game is straightforward: take it one step at a time and get the hell out of there. But learning how to walk in this game does honestly take a little bit to get used to. While it sounds simple enough, taking literal baby steps, the physics of the game make the timing of each step and where you’re stepping matter.
Stepping on slippery surfaces means you’re bound to fall if you’re not careful enough, and stepping in mud means solidifying each step before taking the next one, and walking in water means you’ll have to lean a little more into the step to walk through it, and so on. Each step is deliberate, and you can feel the resistance from the controller, which only makes you feel a part of this bizarre and unusual world.
Trekking through different types of terrain in this open-world game has Nate meeting, or rather, bumping into an array of characters like Jim, Mike, Moose, Ethan, and many more. Our interactions (or their interactions with Nate) transport us into cut scenes that put Nate’s personality on full display, showing us a man who refuses to get any kind of help when he so desperately needs it, but can’t stand to be emasculated by someone better than him. Hilarious.
While these characters don’t necessarily help us along the way, through particular interactions with objects and places, their presence almost fills the loneliness (if for a moment) you, as a player, can feel walking through the isolated lands.
Take It Slow or Fast, Whatever Floats Your Boat
To get through each level, Nate needs to hike up to individual campfires to progress in hopes that we’ll make it home, which obviously requires walking through some of the most difficult terrain ever, with no shoes, nonetheless! You’ll more than likely be tempted to speed walk the game as the teasing glow of the campfire entices you to find the shortest way up there. But I’m here to tell you that it could lead to long journeys down a waterfall, mudslides, cliffs, and anything with substantial height, with a long hike back up to where you want to be.
Taking it slow ultimately leads you to your destination faster because you are falling less, but walking fast and accidentally taking missteps in the wrong direction also comes with some insane surprises, where one instance of falling led me to a random cave full of mushroom penises, so you tell me which option is the better one here.
You’ll also be able to participate in mini games and quests that get you silly little hats, or some nice selfie footage of Nate scoffing down some food. Be warned, you may or may not rage at your screen trying to reach for an item, only to fall horribly and restart the quest for glory.
The game also glitched at times, leaving Nate in some of the most compromising positions that are physically impossible. Most likely unintentional, it did make me laugh.
Check Out The Views
The wonderful world of Baby Steps feels so large that it’s almost intangible. It’s beautiful, and the visuals, paired with the soundscape (which sometimes features sounds coming directly from the controller), really immerse you in the world, but it sometimes feels impossible to explore everything.
For example, on multiple occasions, my thought process went like this. “Okay, the campfire is obviously up there because it’s glowing, so let’s try and find any way to go up that mountain… Wait, but there’s something in the shadows in the corner of the screen that could be something cool? Should I go there? Okay, fine, I will. Whoa! What’s this Box Hell? Let’s go there instead, and I’ll find my way back to where I was last time. Wait, no, I’m lost now.”
The game constantly allows players to divert their paths, with the hope of seeing something interesting or peculiar. But sometimes the reward for the time spent and careful footsteps did feel like a bit of a punch to the gut, with nothing to really push the story forward other than receiving whatever item you were reaching for. And with Nate’s slow steps, sometimes the trek felt torturous, tedious, and repetitive. For lack of a better word, the game, at times, felt completely like rage bait.
Final Thoughts
While the game can at times feel monotonous and frustrating, Baby Steps is an engaging game that is worth giving a go. Falling over and over again can be exhausting, and the effort put into it can almost feel like a chore.
But the need and want to see what’s next in this absurd game can’t help but reel you back in. The design of the game is beautiful, and the mechanics are challenging enough, so if you were a lover of the simplicity of the early games on the internet, this is for you.
THREE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Reminiscent of the game QWOP, but in an open world and with more objectives; It’s also hilarious trying to watch the character walk through the world so completely uncoordinated.
Lowlights: Due to the vastness of the game, it sometimes feels like you’re going in circles trying to reach certain goals that don’t necessarily lead to any substantial reward, and can feel tedious and repetitive.
Developer: Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, and Bennett Foddy
Publisher: Devolver Digital
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PC
Available: 24th September 2025
Review conducted on PS5 with a pre-release code provided by the publisher.
Featured header image provided by Devolver Digital.
