Baby Steps

Baby Steps surpassed all my expectations and even small grievances to become a thrilling, trying and memorable journey about being better and learning to ask for help. It’s certainly one of the harder ‘one of those’ types of ragebait climbing games, but each step it makes in tackling this niche is as deliberate as the ones you’re making as the clumsy Nate. What’s within is a refinement of the subgenre, providing a layered and surprisingly poignant world and story to explore. Bennett Foddy and co. have made their opus here, and even with every plummet and misstep I made, I had the best experience in the space I’ve ever had, uniquely hating, loving, loathing and delighting in it. If the devs are reading this, I hate you guys. But also, I bloody love you.

89%Game Brain Score

humor, gameplay

grinding, optimization

91% User Score Based on 1,738 reviews

Critic Score 85%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom $0

Buy NowGet on Steam €19.99 Buy NowGet on PS Store $0

About

Baby Steps is a single player casual simulation game with horror, comedy and erotic themes. It was developed by Bennett Foddy and was released on September 23, 2025. It received positive reviews from critics and very positive reviews from players.

Buy Baby Steps on PlayStation Store. Get ready to fall in this literal walking simulator.

Skip User Reviews

91%Audience ScoreBased on 1,738 reviews

humor301 positive mentions

grinding19 negative mentions

Unique and engaging control scheme where you control each leg independently, creating satisfying and immersive gameplay.
Humorous, awkward, and improv-style dialogue that adds charm and depth to the story and characters.
Open world with multiple paths and optional challenges, encouraging exploration and replayability without harsh punishment on the main path.

Some areas and challenges are excessively punishing, leading to long progress losses that can be frustrating and tedious.
Lack of an in-game map or clear guidance causes confusion and tedious backtracking, which detracts from the experience for some players.
Audio design, including some music and sound effects, can be grating or annoying, with certain bugs affecting controls or physics unpredictably.

humor
306 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
2%
The humor in the game is widely praised for its sharp, improvised, and absurd comedy, particularly in cutscenes and character interactions, blending goofy, awkward, and sometimes crude jokes with surprisingly poignant and thoughtful moments. While many find it hilarious, engaging, and a key highlight that elevates the experience, the humor is considered hit-or-miss for some, with a few players finding it juvenile or repetitive. Overall, the humor effectively complements the unique gameplay, offering a funny, heartfelt, and often cathartic tone that appeals strongly to those with a taste for quirky, offbeat comedy.
- “The level of random comedy is great, and you can easily tell that the cutscenes were improvised to a humorous perfection.”
- “The humor in the game is fantastic, both in the improvised character interactions and in the environment and mechanics themselves.”
- “Genuinely funny, both within gameplay and character writing; some fantastically delivered lines and animations here.”
- “Nope, it's tedious, boring, and so annoying to the point it's not funny. YouTubers make this game look easy.”
- “While most of the easily found challenges are good exercises in skill, some of them are like a joke that goes on for far too long, becoming unfunny in the process.”
- “Way too easy and unfunny, random humor.”
gameplay
225 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
60%
4%
The gameplay of this title centers on a unique, physics-based walking mechanic that is both challenging and rewarding to master, offering a deeply nuanced and satisfying experience for those patient enough to engage with it. While some players find the deliberately punishing and sometimes inconsistent controls frustrating, others praise its clever design, humor, and the way it cleverly integrates movement with storytelling and exploration. Overall, the gameplay is polarizing but stands out as a refined, inventive mechanic that transforms simple steps into a complex, engaging challenge.
- “Genuinely the most fun I have had with a game in years, cutscenes are funny, physics are good and overall just a really good game. I would recommend it if you like physics-based mechanics in games.”
- “The mechanics are intuitive, the cutscenes are worth working for, and there's plenty of interesting areas around the map.”
- “Seriously though, amazing game, unique and engaging mechanics, easy to learn, hard to master; the walking is surprisingly addicting. It's so satisfying as you get better and overcome more challenging obstacles. By the time you complete your first playthrough, you'll be scaling walls and scurrying in ways you never thought possible at the beginning.”
- “The concept is really fun and the map is huge and really well made, but the tedious failure mechanics and the pointless zero-progression side quest sections let it down.”
- “For a game that's supposed to be about fine tuned movement and careful stepping, having drastically different results for what happens when you plant your feet then move in the same place with same angles and same velocities is just straight up the developer's inability to code physics and contempt for the player disguised as "difficult gameplay."”
- “As a game, I represent the player base that will be completely turned off by the intentionally-punitive, trollish gameplay, cemented by iron-man forced saving, like, every few seconds, so there's no way to circumvent losses and avoid the repeated falls/slides down, followed by 5-15-second ragdolls, followed by repeating what you just spent anywhere from minutes to hours doing all over again.”
story
214 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
28%
70%
2%
The story of the game is widely praised for its surprising depth, emotional resonance, and thoughtful themes centered on personal growth, self-acceptance, and overcoming adversity, all delivered through quirky humor and engaging cutscenes. While some find the narrative bizarre, awkward, or overshadowed by crude humor, many appreciate its blend of surreal comedy with genuinely touching moments that evolve the protagonist’s character. Overall, the story complements the challenging gameplay, offering players a unique, meaningful journey that encourages perseverance and self-reflection.
- “Didn't go into this expecting a genuinely well thought out and produced story, at first it seems like a straight-edge comedy but as you learn more about Nate, his past, and his growth, you realize you're playing a really thoughtful, well made, and at times depressing story.”
- “Baby Steps is a very poignant, dark, and honest story wrapped up in a goofy and crude rage-bait game, which is sad because the difficulty and crudeness will only appeal to a small portion of the gaming population, but the story is so heartfelt that it really needs to be discussed in greater detail.”
- “The story it tells goes much deeper than it appears at a glance, and literally made me laugh and even cry during a heavy moment.”
- “Finally, this game does have a story, and while certain points of the story seem to be fairly profound, the protagonist ends up essentially back at where he started by the end, so I think the story really falls off at the end.”
- “The writing comes across like an attempt at edgy humor rather than meaningful storytelling.”
- “I was really hooked on the beginning of the story, but it just disappointed me; it didn't go in the direction I wanted it to, and it felt hollow, like the constant attempts to goad the player into doing more side content.”
music
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
80%
6%
The game's music is highly experimental and unconventional, blending nature and environmental sounds into a dynamic, quirky soundtrack that some find immersive and unique, while others consider it grating or annoying, often preferring to mute it. This avant-garde approach enhances the game’s atmosphere for many players, though its atypical style may not appeal to everyone. Overall, the soundtrack is a bold and defining aspect that contributes to the game’s distinct identity.
- “The "music" in this game is also wild; Maxi Boch and team did an amazing job at building something both unique, dynamic, and fitting to the game.”
- “A surreal and psychedelic soundtrack composed mostly of nature sounds ties the whole thing together.”
- “The sound design and ambient music is absolutely phenomenal.”
- “The 'music' is god awful; it's literally just semi-rhythmic grunts and squeaks, but you can just turn it off and not really lose anything.”
- “Great game but the soundtrack is really bad.”
- “Also the soundtrack for this game seems designed to annoy you, like it will just play barnyard sounds over and over or drip drop noises.”
emotional
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a surprisingly emotional and heartfelt experience beneath its humorous and frustrating gameplay, exploring themes of perseverance, masculinity, and loneliness. Players often find themselves deeply invested in the protagonist’s vulnerable journey, with moments of genuine poignancy and emotional resonance that defy initial expectations. Though challenging and sometimes crude, the story’s emotional depth and relatable character development leave a lasting impact.
- “When opening this beautiful gift you are met with a deeply emotional story about a man who is so ashamed of himself that he refuses any help even if he needs it just so he can appear tougher.”
- “The emotional experience Baby Steps provides conducts a full orchestra of human feeling.”
- “Every time you fall Nate (the main character) lets out disappointed sighs and swears as if he is actually disappointed or angry; this story has unexpected plot twists and emotional development as Nate learns why he is in this situation in the first place. At first this seems like a silly game, and it very much is, but deep down it's a game that merges maturity and emotional development with a deep story.”
graphics
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
52%
35%
13%
The game's graphics are generally praised for their unique style, charm, and effective use within the game's aesthetic, offering stunning visuals and impressive cutscenes without requiring high-end settings. While not hyper-realistic, the graphics suit the game's tone and are optimized well, running smoothly on various platforms including lower-end PCs and the Steam Deck. Some users note minor issues with visual clarity impacting gameplay precision, but overall the art design and animation contribute positively to the experience.
- “The visuals are stunning as well and I hope one day to complete the rest of the achievements!”
- “Thank you to the developer team for harnessing the full potential of the graphics engine, optimizing this game for a life altering time... every time.”
- “There are side objectives, awesome and goofy cutscenes, amazing voice acting, good story, very beautiful graphics and world to slowly explore and collectibles to collect :)”
- “Graphically it is alright, voice acting and script is bad, almost The Room bad but I think it was done on purpose.”
- “The visuals aren't out of this world, but the game has some charm and runs flawlessly on the Steam Deck; a few times I was hitting mid 50s FPS, but generally a solid 60 FPS.”
- “The controls are not precise enough for what this game demands sometimes, or rather the visuals make it hard to know precisely where your feet are going to land, which gets pretty important after an hour or so.”
grinding
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Grinding in this game is characterized by repetitive, tedious traversal and frequent setbacks that require retracing long paths, which many players find frustrating and aggravating. While some appreciate the challenge and occasional catharsis in careful progression, the lack of quick-saves or checkpoints and punishing failure mechanics make the grind feel overly punishing and monotonous. Overall, grinding is a divisive aspect that can feel either satisfying or overwhelmingly tedious depending on player patience and preference.
- “Actually a pretty good game but the lack of quick-save functionality or even checkpoints makes it extremely tedious at the later parts, as there are so many situations where one tiny error will send you tumbling way back to the start of the section you were on.”
- “You can and will lose a lot of progress and be forced to retrace a lot of wobbly, tedious steps to get back to the thing you were trying to do, which itself might be challenging enough that it requires many attempts that will inevitably fail, and if that does not sound like acceptable gameplay to you, you should pass on this.”
- “Most people, including me (I'm way too old for this stuff, and am far more interested in the content than I am the process, but it was probably never my bag), do not have the time and patience for the tedious repetition and painful, outrageous resets you endure playing this game.”
replayability
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
10%
30%
The game offers high replayability through its massive map, multiple challenges, varied paths, and hidden content, encouraging exploration and different playstyles. Secondary mission achievements and optional post-game elements add depth, though the complexity may feel overwhelming for some. While lacking custom levels, the diverse routes and engaging mechanics provide strong motivation for repeated play.
- “Replay value is also pretty high, given the massive map and multiple little challenges and other things to return to.”
- “Your one goal is up but it doesn't specify how you are meant to go up. Watching people's playthroughs and seeing them go completely different ways that I didn't even think possible really shows off the insane replayability of this baby steps.”
- “Instead of the replayability coming from mastering the core mechanic of moving through a specific set of obstacles, this game adds multiple paths and options for progressing that both make your initial playthrough more personalized and rewarding and your subsequent playthroughs more interesting.”
- “Less replayable than 'Getting Over It' for me; the larger scope feels overwhelming.”
- “Replay value is limited as the game lacks depth beyond initial exploration, making subsequent playthroughs less engaging.”
- “Despite multiple paths, the replayability diminishes quickly due to repetitive challenges and lack of meaningful new content.”
optimization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
Optimization is generally praised for good performance and included performance-enhancing settings like FSR out of the box. However, some users report serious issues such as hard locks and crashes, though these seem less common. Overall, the game runs well for most players, but stability concerns remain for some.
- “It also comes with 'FSR' (FidelityFX Super Resolution) set to performance out of the box as well.”
- “The optimization is really good.”
- “The game looks pretty good and is very well optimized.”
- “There are also some serious performance issues that result in the game completely locking up to the point of hard locking or crashing my PC.”
- “It also comes with 'fsr' (I could not tell you which one) set to performance out of the box as well.”
- “Performance doesn't seem to be a common complaint and I don't get stutters every session, so your mileage may vary, but other negative reviews have mentioned deleted saves, so I hope that gets resolved soon.”
character development
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
Character development in the game is generally praised for its depth, meaningful tone, and compelling storytelling, complemented by unique character designs and effective comedic timing. However, some users feel that certain characters lack development, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “The comedic timing of jokes, the character development, and even the more meaningful underlying tone of what is being said is the treat you get for the parts that frustrated you.”
- “Very easy learning curve with amazing compelling story, rich character development and immersive narrative.”
- “Between the environment, character design, trinkets, textures and cut scenes it was perfect.”
- “The gratuitous nudity and cuck main character with zero character development really detract from the game overall.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The game's atmosphere is praised for its calming, zen-like ambience and immersive sound design, enhancing the overall experience despite occasional frustrations or experimental music choices. While some find the soundtrack distracting, the ambient sounds and voice acting effectively support the gameplay. The tone ranges from serene to quirky, contributing to a unique and engaging mood.
- “The tedium of the game pushes the player to deep frustration, but the atmosphere and sense of progress one can achieve in patient persistence makes the struggle truly feel worth it.”
- “Very zen, nice ambience and atmosphere set a great backdrop to the walking mechanics and top notch voice acting.”
- “The ambient sounds that form the 'soundtrack' add to the atmosphere of the game.”
- “Awkward humor and silly atmosphere turn the difficulty up to 11.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The game demonstrates strong stability overall, running smoothly without crashes or major bugs, particularly impressive for a launch-day open-world title. However, a few minor glitches were noted, such as sporadic in-game physics issues, but these do not significantly impact the overall experience.
- “First of all, runs great on Steam Deck.”
- “Runs great, controls are incredibly smooth, and there's no gimmicks.”
- “The inconsistency was bad enough, but on top of that were a couple of glitches that propelled me off the ledge when I should've simply fallen backwards.”
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Users express concern over the removal of a demo, viewing it as a significant negative for monetization, while also noting quirky character designs that add some charm despite these issues.
- “The removal of a demo is an even bigger red flag for me than if it was filled with NFTs, microtransactions, or stolen assets.”