Baby Steps

Devolver Digital is a renowned publishing studio. One that thrives on unique games that have original mechanics, strong narratives and interesting visuals. Most have at least experienced one of their games, whether it be Cult of the Lamb, Pepper Grinder or the criminally underrated Gunbrella. The latest game added to their incredibly strong library is Baby Steps, a walking simulator where you have to help Nate to the top of a mountain by controlling his legs.

Being slightly apprehensive starting this up, and from seeing the trailer and Nate’s movement, uncertainty crept in about whether this would be my cup of tea and Nate was only to exist as a falling dummy from my fumbling attempts. There were certainly many of those moments, but there were also moments of calm and appreciation for Nate, his story and the traversal of the game. 

We meet the socially awkward Nate slouched on the couch in his parents’ basement. You hear his mum and dad discussing his predicament, but before you know it, he disappears and awakens in a dreamy, surreal world that looks very much like our own. A forestry and mountainous range lies in front of Nate, but not everything is quite right, which comes to light as we meet the various NPCs of the game. 

It’s here that many of the funniest moments happen through these interactions. Nate’s awkwardness and insistence on not taking any help become a running joke, but I tutted and moaned when trainers and a map were offered only for Nate to refuse, and we, the player, being teased as you see the mini map – showing the trail already taken – flash on the screen for a few seconds before it was cruelly taken away. 

These interactions continue through the game, including ones with lower half-naked anthropomorphic donkey men (and yes, it’s all on show) who instruct Nate that if he wants to go home, then he needs to reach the top of the mountain and make a wish. All completely bonkers and left me rubbing my eyes sometimes in disbelief, but it sets the kind of humour that is to be found throughout the game. 

So begins the trek up the mountain with his legs solely in your (un)capable hands. To move Nate, you use the left joystick to make him lean and the shoulder buttons for each of his legs. It felt unnatural at first, and it wasn’t pretty to start with, but it wasn’t too long before I got into a groove and realised just how much control I actually had with his legs and feet. This is not to say that his falling over never stopped – it didn’t – even hours into the game, it was easy for Nate to lose his footing and tumble, thanks mostly to the terrain or my shoddy control instructions.

Not only were they a hazard, but being a forestry, mountainous area, it is ripe for many other dangers – mostly terrain – from the likes of steps, muddy surfaces, tree roots and rivers. Planks of wood may be laid across a river, but of course it is all very precarious. I’ve never been more nervous attempting a simple crossing over a river, but my hands were clammy and my heart was beating as I really didn’t want to fall.

That’s because there is no real safety net – if you fall, you’ve got to retrace your steps, which, after a serious tumble, can set you back quite a ways. It was frustrating, especially if that retrace happened to include a particularly tricky section, but the falling kind of makes up for it, as the ragdoll physics can lead to some seriously painful contact with stone and rocks.

With this being a semi-open world game, there are more paths than you may think. There is not one main course, so if a particular obstacle is causing you trouble, there could be another option around the corner. Of course, that means moving Nate, which can be off-putting to explore, but sometimes it will save you time in the long run. Even though the game does a good job of guiding you, there were still times I wasn’t sure where I could go, spending much time just wandering and experimenting to see where I could continue the climb. This led to some unexpected frustration, but not to the levels I would hit further on into my trek. 

As all good games do, as you progress, they get harder, and this applies to some of the paths that Nate will find himself on. They can get extremely narrow; you are just centimetres away from slipping off; there’s a point where you have to climb circular steps that have some missing or a tree has grown in the way. Although it’s fun, I was growing tired of the struggle, especially after trying to do a particularly difficult section and falling back to the bottom too many times to count. There are only so many times I could retrace my steps. You would catch me shouting at the screen, “No, no, no, get up,” as Nate just lay there sliding down a bank and undoing all my hard work. 

There was a layer of frustration in this game that I could only control to a certain point. But it eventually got me, and I had to put the game to bed. Considering I came to this on the back of Hollow Knight: Silksong, I hadn’t felt frustration like this for a long time. This game is for the very patient, someone with much perseverance, and although I have a lot of both, Baby Steps eventually used it all up before I could get to the very top of the mountain. 

Luckily, to try and alleviate this slightly, there are many optional distractions scattered all over the game map to tackle your curiosity and puzzle skills. Watchtowers appear on a regular basis, with more and more treacherous steps to navigate the further you go. You may find poles sticking out of the side of a cliff – that, if you really wanted to – could attempt to step on. There are also lots of buildings to attempt a climb on, with some rewards like the many hats you can find for Nate to wear.   

Through all of this, the game was janky, but I believe it was on purpose to make this world that little bit more strange. The graphics were amazingly beautiful for the most part but featured a screen filter throughout, giving it a vibe that only amplified this surreal world and its beings. There was still much detail in the terrain and backgrounds, and Nate’s movements were smooth and easy to work with for the most part. 

Sound design, on the other hand, was a little all over the place. I appreciated Nate’s huffs and puffs when climbing and cursing when he nearly or does fall over. Footsteps sounded great, with different sounds occurring depending on which surface Nate was walking on, and the voice acting was delivered well and was very welcome. The game doesn’t really have the usual soundtrack, though, as you’re greeted to animal or insect noises instead that make some kind of tunes. Birds, crickets, dogs and more get in on the act, but I eventually turned it off, as it got very distracting and annoying. 

There’s also a worthy narrative held within all the madness, and you’ll learn why Nate is so awkward around others and refuses help. The pitfalls of male masculinity are explored also, which was appreciated, as I, like many others, have experienced this negative outlook, and it was refreshing to see it being tackled in such a way.