When Baby Steps first appeared at the PlayStation showcase a few years ago, it was one of those trailers that made you stop mid-scroll and think, wait—what did I just watch? The teaser featured a pajama-clad man struggling to walk across a misty landscape, every step a slapstick disaster. It was weird, funny, and oddly charming. Fast forward to its long-awaited release in September 2025, and Baby Steps has become exactly what that teaser promised: a heartfelt, ridiculous, and sometimes profound meditation on failure, wrapped in a physics-based walking simulator.
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The game comes from the unholy trinity of indie chaos—Gabe Cuzzillo (Ape Out), Maxi Boch (Slayers X), and Bennett Foddy, the sadistic genius behind QWOP and Getting Over It. Together, they’ve created something that feels both experimental and oddly human. If QWOP was about mechanical frustration and Getting Over It was about philosophical endurance, Baby Steps feels like the next evolution—a story-driven, comedic take on the absurd struggle of simply putting one foot in front of the other.
You play as Nate, a 35-year-old underachiever whose life has hit the ultimate dead end. After one too many days of couch-bound self-pity, Nate is mysteriously transported into a strange, fog-covered world where the only way forward—literally—is to walk. Not “press forward on the stick” walk. No, you control Nate’s legs, one at a time, manually shifting weight, lifting knees, and trying not to faceplant every five seconds. It sounds simple, but it’s shockingly challenging and nerve-wracking. Each rock, slope, and puddle becomes an obstacle course in itself, and every successful climb feels like a hard-earned personal victory.
What makes Baby Steps more than a simple gimmick, though, is the world it builds around this mechanic. As Nate wanders through valleys, cliffs, and crumbling ruins, he meets a cast of delightfully bizarre characters—talking donkeys, philosophical hermits, and a few people who may or may not exist. The writing is unapologetically dry and awkward, full of that quintessential Aussie humor: passive-aggressive remarks, sarcastic jabs, and the kind of banter that teeters between insult and affection. It’s that special brand of humor where you can’t quite tell if someone’s calling you an idiot or congratulating you, and it’s delivered with perfect comedic timing.
Much of that charm comes from the voice work. Gabe Cuzzillo himself voices Nate, while Bennett Foddy takes on many of the side characters, often ad-libbing lines during development. The result is a dialogue style that feels completely natural—messy, imperfect, but real. Conversations often wander, stumble, or spiral into absurd tangents, and that’s exactly what makes them funny. It feels like you’re listening to real people trying to navigate an awkward situation, rather than polished voice actors reading lines.
While the story starts simple—just get to the top of the mountain—it slowly evolves into something more introspective. Nate’s journey becomes a metaphor for perseverance and purpose. Along the way, you can stumble upon “non-collectible hats” scattered throughout the world. Yes, that’s what they’re called. If you manage to find one and keep it on until the next camp (your save point), you’re rewarded with a short story cutscene that reveals something strange, heartfelt, or hilarious about Nate’s past. These little moments give the game a quiet emotional pulse beneath all the slapstick chaos.
The physics-driven gameplay means failure is inevitable—and frequent. But unlike Getting Over It, which practically mocks you for falling, Baby Steps has a gentler tone. You’ll swear, laugh, and roll your eyes, but it never feels mean-spirited. Each tumble is a learning moment. Every climb teaches you patience. The game’s “fully dynamic onesie soilage system” (yes, that’s a real feature) keeps track of dirt and mud as you trudge through the landscape, and it’s a weirdly satisfying reminder of your journey.
Visually, Baby Steps is simple but stunning. The world has a surreal, dreamlike beauty—lush fields, fog-drenched cliffs, shimmering lakes—all rendered with a painterly softness. It’s a perfect contrast to the clumsy human flailing that occupies the screen. The soundtrack, mostly ambient and reflective, perfectly complements the mood, giving moments of calm between bouts of chaos.
This is a game that’s best played on a handheld like the Steam Deck or ROG Ally, where you can pick it up, climb a hill, fall off said hill, laugh about it, and set it down again. It’s a “slow burn” kind of experience—more meditative than adrenaline-pumping. But if you’re playing on PC or console, make sure to use a controller. The analog movement feels natural and intuitive, and trying to play this with a keyboard is like learning to walk all over again.
Baby Steps isn’t going to be for everyone. Some players will find the slow pace and physics-driven movement infuriating, and others might not click with its dry, offbeat humor. But for those willing to give it time, it’s a surprisingly emotional and rewarding journey. There’s something oddly profound about watching Nate struggle, fail, and eventually—finally—find his footing.
It’s a strange little game with a big heart, one that reminds us that progress doesn’t always look graceful. Sometimes it’s awkward, sometimes it’s messy, but it’s still progress.
“Baby Steps turns clumsiness into comedy and failure into triumph, one hilariously awkward step at a time.”
