In Baby Steps players take on the role of Nate “an unemployed 35-year-old failson struggling to find meaning and motivation in a life he feels he’s already wasted.” Nate is transported from his parents’ couch (which may also be his entire living space) into the digital world, where he has to learn how to walk by putting one foot in front of the other. Players are given the task of moving Nate about this open world, which is basically a large mountain filled with random garbage and some strange characters.

This is definitely a silly game. I would usually find myself bored of this walking gimmick quite quickly, but for some reason I feel the need to master the art of “walking” as Nate in Baby Steps. I won’t quit until I make it to the top of the mountain, no matter how many times I slide down back to the bottom after making any progress — which happens frequently.

Something magical about Baby Steps is that unlike other open world games there are no checkpoints or fast travel spots. There is no map. Even after an NPC (non-playable character) shows you his map for an instant, he quickly takes it away after Nate claims to be a master of exploration.

Baby Steps is a true open world free exploration game. There are also no upgradable items. This means you can pretty much do anything at any point in the game as long as you are good enough to do it. There’s no waiting around until you find that important item that is going to unlock a new area on the map. If you’re not up to the challenge you can find another way.

The writing is another primary reason why I have stuck with this game. Nate reminds me of Morty from early seasons of Rick and Morty when he’s still very unaware and unsure of himself. Nate’s trying to portray the vibe of “Don’t worry, I got this,” while feeling very lost and insecure on the inside and trying to stay out of anyone else’s way.

My Walking Strategies

I’ve had two main approaches when it comes to exploration (or walking) in Baby Steps. (1) I can focus on looking totally normal while moving very slowly. I sometimes get the hang of walking slowly when it comes to normal terrain in Baby Steps, however, once obstacles are introduced (like mud, rocks, or a waterfall) everything goes to shit. I end up sliding down half of the mountain back to the start of my journey.

My second approach (2) to movement is to work on getting a nice rhythm going. Hold the joystick forward at the perfect angle and repeatedly switch between L2 and R2 (to lift each leg). When done right this is much quicker, but looks creepy and robotic. This is also tough to master and leads to much disaster.

The third approach I’ve started using lately is long lunges. Taking big strides which also leads to disaster. So, the big takeaway is any “walking strategy” usually fails at some point, so it’s important to focus on taking baby steps in Baby Steps.

There have been plenty of times after a great fall where Nate gets back to his feet and I just want to point the stick forward and walk on “easy mode” — as in the way it’s done in any other video game. I will never take walking for granted in a video game ever again thanks to Nate and Baby Steps.

My “Disability*”

Another reason why Baby Steps has resonated with me is because it reminded me of my “disability.” I was born “pigeon-toed” or “walking like a platypus” which are the ways it was described to me by other kids. It wasn’t until writing this article that I finally looked up the proper term for it — in-toeing. I was hoping for a more technical term –“Uh, the toes are facing inward, let’s call it in-toeing,” said some doctor, many years ago.

At a young age I saw many foot specialists. This was in the late-80s and early-90s, when we didn’t have the technology of today. The general consensus was that to fix this “problem” they needed to break both of my legs and turn them outwards. I’d have to learn how to walk again. Also, this whole ordeal would take place during the summertime. I’d spend an entire summer (as a kid) recovering in bed before learning to walk again — No, Thank You!

I’m sharing this because it’s not something I think about often, but playing Baby Steps brought these memories back. I even noticed during a cutscene that Nate’s feet were pointed inward a bit when he was standing around — of course that could have been a glitch, or maybe he’s kind of like me.

I’m glad my parents listened to me as a young child and decided not to go with the surgery. One doctor even said something like, “he can ride a bike, skateboard, rollerblade. I think he’ll be alright.” That doctor was correct.

Even though I didn’t go through the trauma of having that surgery as a child and everything that came with that, Baby Steps still brought these memories back. This is what makes video games so damn cool (and sometimes a bit strange and weird). They can grab our attention for many different reasons. The developers may think they are creating some silly walking simulator, but any gamer can take away whatever they happen to see or feel while playing a video game.

I’ve really enjoyed playing Baby Steps for all of its weirdness, but mostly for the way I’ve connected with this game through my own history. Also, my partner thinks it’s so funny anytime Nate falls over and I make him shake his booty (or twerk) on his way down by moving his legs up and down.

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*I put my “disability” in quotations because I’m guessing this would be classified as a disability although I have never really thought of it as one. At worst I was teased for it, but having this birth defect hasn’t really stopped me from achieving anything. I may be more prone to plantar fasciitis, but that’s not a fact. I have never listed it on any forms, it’s just something I was born with. I’m not making light of any true disabilities, I just didn’t know what to call it if not that.

**myVGBC.com was given an early review code for Baby Steps by the publisher.