So I Tried... Baby Steps

Each edition of So I Tried… I will try a game that I have never played before. Will I find something new to love? Will I find something new to despise? I’ll take a full half hour, no matter how bad it gets or how badly I do, to see if this is the game for me. This time, I took my first steps into a literal walking simulator, the Baby Steps demo.

What I Thought It Was

I’ve been curious about what Baby Steps would be like ever since its announcement two years ago. I assumed it would be funny, janky, and frustrating, following in the footsteps of QWOP or Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy — but much weirder. Yes, weirder than a shirtless man in a cauldron, climbing a mountain.

Could hiking as a grown man in a too-tight onesie be… fun? How difficult could walking actually be? Can I root for Nate, the unemployed failson? As you can see, just a brief look at Baby Steps left me with many questions and few guesses about what it could be. It seems like a game that you didn’t know could exist until someone (in this case, Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, and Bennett Foddy) decided to make it.

What It Actually Is

Baby Steps is hilarious and strange. In no other game can I pull a happy baby pose mid-slide down a muddy slope, ending with Nate simply lying on his soiled back at the bottom, probably questioning how he’s going to find a place to pee. If walking leads to this, I get why he hasn’t stepped outside seemingly ever.

The demo begins with our protagonist sitting comfortably in his parents’ basement, ignoring the argument happening upstairs. Then, he’s whisked away magically to the mysterious outdoors, with a mountain to climb.

From there, your goal is simply to follow the path up and hopefully find a restroom along the way. You have total control over which foot he steps with, and in what direction; you can even adjust the height of your step when your foot is raised. The problem is that walking frequently leads to falling. Nate complains “my poor butt”, but honestly, I think I’ve hit his head the most throughout my short time with the game.

So far, Baby Steps is the most fun when you go off the set path (whether on purpose or accidentally falling into a new area), as there’s a lot to see and optional challenges to take. For example, I noticed there were many posters about a “missing cup,” and once I spotted it, I spent 15 minutes trying to retrieve it (no, I haven’t been successful… yet).

Will I Keep Playing

I didn’t love Baby Steps in its first few minutes, some of the initial cutscenes didn’t make me laugh, and the walking jankiness did not feel fun at first. However, as you can tell, it grew on me!

Exploration feels rewarding, whether you’re actually finding something new or just taking those titular baby steps without falling. Figuring out how to step across narrow ledges is simultaneously thrilling and anxiety-inducing, as well. It’s good fun thus far, and I really wanted to get past that demo barrier to head to the next level.

Thankfully, Baby Steps launches in just a few months on the 8th of September 2025 for PC and PlayStation 5.