Earlier this year, I had the chance to play the demo for ‘Baby Steps’, a collaboration between ‘Getting Over It’ creator Bennett Foddy and ‘Ape Out’ creators Gabe Cuzzillo and Maxi Boch. Now that the whole game is here, I was keen to go back in to see what awaited me beyond where the demo ended.

In many ways, this feels like a culmination of Foddy’s work on ‘Getting Over It’, which popularised what is known as the Foddian genre. Titles such as ‘Only Up’ and ‘Jump King’, etc., as well as his earlier work ‘QWOP’, the hilarious classic flash game where players awkwardly shuffled their character forward using only the Q, W, O, and P keys. To sum it up, take the unforgiving level design of ‘Getting Over It’ and the intentionally frustrating gameplay of ‘QWOP’ and you get ‘Baby Steps’.

The game begins in what appears to be a simple suburban home, where a couple argues about their son’s laziness. The father wants his wife to stop babying him, while their son, Nate, lounges in another room, watching TV in what could only be described as a pigsty. Suddenly, Nate is teleported inside a dank cave. Very quickly, we meet Jim, the mountain guide, who offers to help Nate, who anxiously stumbles through the conversation as much as he stumbles on his feet.

You use the left trigger to move Nate forward, and the left and right triggers to control each leg. You’ll need to slowly master the rhythm required to get him walking. His balance, however, is far from perfect, so even a small rock or some roots sticking out of the ground can cause plenty of tumbles. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m absolutely terrible at this game. While my time with the demo gave me a slight advantage early on, after some hours with the full release, I’m still nowhere near the top.

At first, Baby Steps doesn’t feel as unforgiving as other games in the “Foddian” genre, but that quickly changes once you’re forced to navigate precarious paths with a character who often refuses to do exactly what you want. On one occasion, I misjudged a step and tumbled down a waterfall, losing about 15 minutes of progress.

Another time, while walking past a large muddy hill, I tripped and slid down it like it was an oil slide, launching off a cliff, and I was left reeling at just how much progress I’d lost. Infuriatingly, I continue, as I love conquering these types of games, but it must be said that, since the gameplay is awkward by design, they are definitely not for everybody.

Along the way, you encounter a comedic cast of characters, with dialogue that feels heavily improvised, and it works. More than once, I found myself laughing at the insult-filled cutscenes or the random Red Dead Redemption map easter eggs.

Through it all, Nate is an easy character to root for. As he tumbles and falls, he mutters swears and frustrations, making you genuinely want him to succeed on his journey and overcome his anxieties.

That said, Nate also manages to find the humor in his situation. While walking, he might stumble across a sand bucket and plop it on his head, or after tumbling down a hill, for example, he could discover an abandoned shack, home to a baby chicken. The little chick then tags along, following you through thick and thin, providing some much-needed company on the climb. The mountain feels like a seemingly open world, offering multiple paths to take. While most eventually seem to converge on a main route, it’s worth exploring to uncover the hidden secrets mentioned above.

Much like the gameplay, the soundtrack feels intentionally distracting, often consisting of random animal noises or other nature sounds. I eventually had to turn it down because it was both loud and distracting, a piece of advice I’d definitely pass on to anyone who may find that annoying.

Overall, Baby Steps is another excellent entry in the “Foddian” genre. One that is intentionally infuriating, hilarious, yet endlessly compelling thanks to Nate’s charm. It’s the kind of game I know I’ll keep coming back to in hopes of conquering it. It’s a game not afraid to take risks and is yet another big win for Australian indie developers.

Written by: Dylan Kocins