If you play a lot of games, you’ve probably heard the term “walking simulator” before. It’s generally a backhanded term used to describe games that don’t have much interactivity beyond walking around and interacting with things. If you picture a game like Gone Home anytime you see those two words together, I’m going to need you to go ahead and wipe that incorrect image from your brain right now. That’s not a walking simulator. I’ll show you a real walking simulator. Take a look at Baby Steps.
Set to launch later this year for PC and PS5, Baby Steps is the latest project from developers Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, and Bennett Foddy. That last name should strike fear in your heart, as that’s the creator behind cult hits like QWOP and Getting Over It, two games that turn basic movement into a physics nightmare. Baby Steps is a continuation of that thinking, creating an open-world slapstick comedy about learning to walk one step at a time. You can try a demo of it now as part of Steam Next Fest and I urge you to do so as soon as possible. It might just be the ultimate magnum opus for one of the most maddening minds in gaming.
One foot in front of the other
The demo wastes no time setting up an elegant story that needs little introduction. A camera swoops through a house as two adults argue about what seems like their kid. We land on a basement-dwelling adult, laid out on his parents’ couch midway through a One Piece binge. One remote click later, they are suddenly whisked away into another world far from their bickering folks. It’s the start of a grand adventure for a mooch dropped into a fantasy world.
Or it would be if they could get this whole “walking” thing down.
As soon as I gain control of the adult baby in question, I realize that the developers have basically made a big budget QWOP. I press a button to move forwards and immediately fall over like a ragdoll. The controls tell me that I need to control each foot as I walk, gradually moving one in front of the other. That’s easier said than done. I stumble my way through a muddy straightway as I try to figure out how exactly to remain standing. After a few pratfalls, I begin to carefully hold my balance with very slow and careful steps. I am essentially a giant toddler learning to walk for the first time. It doesn’t take long for me to get the target of that joke.
After meeting an NPC and engaging in a genuinely hilarious bit of dialogue where my character mumbles his way through an awkward encounter, the world ahead of me opens up. The goal of my demo is simply to get up to walk up a hill and get to a bonfire. As you have probably surmised by now, that is easier said than done. No longer able to simply walk in a straight line, I set out on a perilous journey that requires me to walk up steps, cross over thin planks of wood, and avoid teetering off a cliff into a muddy abyss.
If you’re familiar with Getting Over It, Bennett Foddy’s infamous game about a man in a pot climbing a mountain, this should all sound familiar. Baby Steps is basically an open-world version of that game. At one point I decide to go off the beaten path and see how far I can get. It’s all going well until I take a narrow walkway too fast and go flying off the cliff, destroying 30 minutes worth of progress. I felt anguished for just a moment before dusting myself off and getting back on my feet.
When I do that, I become more determined to improve. Within an hour, I become significantly more skilled at walking. I’m falling over less and my pace begins to speed up. By the end of the demo, I’m able to walk up a staircase without issue. It all culminates in a small victory where I use some clever footholds to get up to the bonfire after initially deeming it impossible to scale when I first get there. I’m still moving like a baby, but one who no longer needs parents hovering around them every time they move.
In that way, Baby Steps feels like the friendliest version of what I’ll call Foddy’s walking trilogy. QWOP is a brilliant bit of slapstick that’s meant to be stumbled through. Getting Over It teaches players to embrace failure amid a Sisyphean quest. Baby Steps feels more achievable than both. It wants players to build up their skill slowly, gaining more and more confidence with each obstacle tackled. I can already sense that I’ll be able to power walk with ease eventually. In that way, it could be the most realistic walking simulator ever.
When I finished my demo, I wished I could keep playing. I felt like I was just finding my (literal) footing and working up to a successful sprint. At least I’ll be ready for the full release now, as I plan to speedrun that opening walkway.
Baby Steps launches later this year for PS5 and PC. A demo is available for Steam Next Fest.
