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Baby Steps preview: Serious gameplay in a silly walking sim

Behind all the absurdity, Baby Steps is an incredibly well-crafted, hyper-detailed relaxation tool.

It’s heading to PC and PlayStation 5 this year, and since its announcement video dropped in June 2023, it’s been a hotly anticipated curio for fans of annoyingly precise traversal mechanics and offbeat indie shit. Thanks to the game’s incredibly precise mechanics, Nate falls over easily, faceplanting in the dirt and tumbling backward over rocky slopes like a ragdoll, covering his grey onesie in mud and sweat. At one point I entered a fast-walking groove while wandering along a rocky path on the edge of the canyon, and I realized the birdsong and the thuds of my own steps had morphed into a rhythmic song, encouraging my gait with a steady, organic beat.

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