By Baby Steps, the literal strolling simulator from the creators behind titles such as QWOP and Getting Over It, is now available, and publisher Devolver Digital is commemorating it with a soothing “naturescape” broadcast where the game’s protagonist Nate collapses into view every 15 minutes.
It’s as bizarre, unsettling, and amusing as it sounds. In Baby Steps, “jobless failson” Nate must navigate a “mountain-sized mountain” using the technique of placing one foot after the other with the game’s distinctive (and seemingly infuriating) physics-driven control mechanism. The stream showcases various terrains from the game that Nate must conquer and presents them as tranquil, picturesque landscapes.
Every few minutes, the stream takes an unexpected twist as Nate tumbles down rocks or faceplants into the ground, mimicking the experiences that several Baby Steps players are encountering themselves. It’s perpetually humorous, largely because it’s easy to forget it will occur while the stream plays in the background on a secondary monitor, suddenly disrupted by the peaceful sounds of nature with a clumsy individual crashing through the scene.
Those who observe closely will realize there’s more than just Nate sporadically entering the frame in a physics-fueled uproar. Product keys for complimentary copies of Baby Steps also flash across the display occasionally, rewarding those who have become ensnared by the meditative experience of anticipating a comically disproportionate man-baby to tumble onto the screen.
Baby Steps is unlike anything else available, as demonstrated by its truly outrageous ESRB rating description that mentions “human/donkey hybrids with exposed male genitalia.” Initially planned for an earlier release, Devolver wisely opted to postpone Baby Steps to September 23 to avoid the launch of Hollow Knight: Silksong, which it announced with a clip of Nate humorously failing to scale a statue of Silksong’s heroine Hornet.
Baby Steps is currently available on PC and PlayStation 5 and is also Steam Deck verified, in case you wished for the option to throw your entire console in frustration.
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