Baby Steps (video game)

Lore & Background

The game follows Nate, a directionless young man who, after a mysterious event, gains the ability to climb with hyper-realistic, physics-driven control over each leg and foot. This newfound skill leads him up a single, fixed mountain—from its grassy base to its treacherous summit—where the only goal is to keep moving upward. The narrative is delivered through text and environmental cues, with no voice acting, telling a story of perseverance and absurdity.

Reader's Guide

Baby Steps was developed by Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, and Bennett Foddy. Foddy was known for developing difficult games such as QWOP and Getting Over It, and previously collaborated with Cuzzillo and Boch on Ape Out. The initial pitch for the game was suggested by Cuzzillo, who wished to develop a more refined version of QWOP. The scope of the game was expanded significantly, featuring a large, 3D environment while maintaining signature features of Foddy's previous games, such as gameplay mechanic heavily focused on locomotion, ragdoll physics, and major progress loss following an episode of failure. The team was also inspired by the concept of Death Stranding. As with Foddy's past games, the team wanted players to find fun through learning and understanding the gameplay mechanics. Commenting on the game's difficulty, Foddy added that there was a 'latent love of punishing choices' among players, while Cuzzillo added that the game presented players with 'situations that might prompt introspection', adding that players were the one who actively decide to complete the game's challenges despite not finding them fun.

The main character in the game was described by Foddy as 'nerdy and unprepared', though the team decided to 'turned that dial up and up', resulting in the creation of Nate, an unemployed, socially inept man-child wearing a onesie. Foddy added that Nate was very insecure. Throughout the game, he actively rejects any help from other non-playable characters to maintain a façade of masculine success. Cuzzillo provided the voice for Nate, while Foddy voiced most other characters and often improvised to put Cuzzillo off his guard. Real-life hiking trails, such as Old Rag Mountain and Angel's Landing, as well as locations from the Uncharted series inspired the game's world. Baby Steps was announced by publisher Devolver Digital in June 2023. Originally set to be released in 2024, it was delayed to September 8, 2025, and then further delayed for few more weeks to avoid competing with Hollow Knight: Silksong. The game was released on September 23, 2025, for PlayStation 5 and Windows.

Baby Steps received 'generally favorable' reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received strong approval, being recommended by 73% of critics. Kyle Orland from Ars Technica wrote that the game can be 'punishing, unforgiving, tedious, and enraging' at times. However, he noted that player progression is entirely defined by players' understanding the game's mechanics and controls, and the game created 'moments of the most genuinely satisfying sense of achievement I can remember having in modern gaming'. He compared Baby Steps to Death Stranding and Foddy's previous games, describing it as a 'wonderfully surreal, unique game'. Travis Northup from IGN wrote that 'despite centering itself around intentionally awkward controls, it has a deceptive level of depth that made me eager to master it'. While he noted that the game can be difficult, most of its most frustrating challenges were optional, and he 'couldn't really get too mad' at the game because he 'voluntarily subjected' himself to completing them. Polygon's Giovanni Colantonio described Baby Steps as 2025's 'funniest game', praising its slapstick comedy. He noted that despite the game's wacky premise, it was also a 'sincere dissection of manhood and the societal pressures it creates'. Writing for GamesRadar, Luke Kemp felt that Baby Steps was much more accessible than Foddy's previous games, though he noted that certain segments of the game were significantly more infuriating than the overall experience. He added that the game camera did not adequately inform the player of Nate's surroundings. In a more negative review, Charles Harte from Game Informer noted that Baby Steps was a game designed for streamers, as it was funnier watching the game instead of playing it. While he understood the direction the game was going for, he found that the overall experience to be 'annoying and grating' and largely unenjoyable.

Did You Know?

• Bennett Foddy, known for 'Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy,' co-developed the game but does not voice any character; the game has no voice acting, with narrative delivered through text and environmental cues.
• The game's physics engine was built from scratch to simulate individual muscle groups in each leg, allowing for thousands of unique climbing gaits.
• Baby Steps was released on June 13, 2024, and features a fixed, hand-crafted mountain rather than procedurally generated landscapes.
• Achievements relate to climbing distances and specific challenges; there is no hidden achievement called 'The Long Way Home.'

The Art of Manual Locomotion

Baby Steps distinguishes itself within the walking simulator genre by refusing to automate the most fundamental action: putting one foot in front of the other. Players control Nate from a third-person view, manually raising and lowering each leg while shifting his center of gravity to stay upright. This deliberate, almost meditative gait becomes the game's central skill, one that demands patience and repeated practice. The world itself is a boundless, horizontally wrapping open environment dotted with optional points of interest, yet it offers no map, no waypoint markers, and no fast-travel shortcuts. Instead, glowing campsites serve as the only directional cues. As the terrain grows increasingly hazardous, a single misstep can send players back to replay a section, though scattered checkpoints soften the punishment. One of the game's most charming touches is its fully dynamic soilage system, which layers mud and grime onto Nate's onesie the longer he trundles through the wilderness, visually tracking the wear and tear of his journey.

Nate's Surreal Pilgrimage

The story follows Nate, a thirty-five-year-old man who spends his days asleep on a sofa in his parents' basement. A sudden power surge and a brush with the TV remote catapult him into a bizarre outdoor realm where he must walk toward a distant mountain. Along the way, his social anxiety becomes the narrative's beating heart. A well-meaning mountain guide named Jim repeatedly offers shoes, a map, and a restroom, but Nate's awkwardness prevents him from accepting any of it. He encounters a hiking enthusiast called Mike and a tribe of half-naked anthropomorphic donkeys who dream of using his single wish to get cigarettes. When Nate finally reaches the wishing idol, an out-of-body moment reveals him still on his couch, and he wishes he were dead. The next day, a gentle donkey named Moose brightens his spirits with ice cream and mentions a cabin he is building high in the mountains. After climbing a snow-capped peak, Nate discovers Moose's cabin. Two knocks go unanswered; on the third, Nate summons the courage to ask to come inside, where he finally finds a toilet and a map retracing his entire journey. After the credits, he naps on a sofa while Moose cooks dinner.

From QWOP to Open Worlds

The game's origins trace back to a pitch from Gabe Cuzzillo, who envisioned a more polished evolution of Bennett Foddy's notoriously punishing QWOP. Foddy, already celebrated for Getting Over It and the earlier Ape Out collaboration with Cuzzillo and Maxi Boch, brought his signature obsession with locomotion mechanics, ragdoll physics, and the deliberate loss of progress upon failure. The team expanded the concept into a vast three-dimensional landscape while keeping those core tenets intact. Death Stranding served as a creative touchstone, and the developers drew on real hiking trails like Old Rag Mountain and Angel's Landing, as well as environments from the Uncharted series, to shape the world. Foddy described Nate as nerdy and unprepared, and the team cranked that trait to its extreme, producing an unemployed, onesie-wearing man-child whose insecurity drives every interaction. Cuzzillo voiced Nate while Foddy handled most other characters, often improvising lines to keep Cuzzillo off-balance. Announced by Devolver Digital in June 2023, the title slipped from 2024 to September 2025, with a final delay to sidestep Hollow Knight: Silksong.

Critical Response and Player Experience

Upon its September 23, 2025 launch for PlayStation 5 and Windows, Baby Steps earned generally favorable marks, with Metacritic aggregating positive reviews and OpenCritic reporting a 73 percent recommendation rate. Critics consistently highlighted the tension between frustration and fulfillment. Kyle Orland of Ars Technica acknowledged the game could feel punishing and enraging, yet praised the deeply satisfying sense of mastery that came from truly understanding its controls, calling it a wonderfully surreal and unique experience. Travis Northup at IGN noted the game's deceptive depth beneath its intentionally awkward movement, adding that most of the harshest challenges were optional and that he could not stay angry at a game he had voluntarily chosen to conquer. Polygon's Giovanni Colantonio singled it out as one of 2025's funniest titles. The recurring critical theme was that Baby Steps transforms difficulty into a form of self-reflection, rewarding players who persist not because the mechanics are inherently fun, but because the act of overcoming them becomes deeply personal.