Part of what makes Baby Steps stand out as a literal walking simulator is how it treats failure and challenge as comedy. Every trip or awkward stumble into a rock feels like it was designed to get a laugh out of the player, even though there is a very real goal for them to achieve in the game. However, that humor isn't just reserved for the players, and it's not even limited to Baby Steps' gameplay. Rather, it's something that played a major role in the game's development behind the scenes as well.
In an interview with The Best War Games, Baby Steps developers Bennett Foddy and Gabe Cuzzillo shared some of their favorite stories from the game's development, from watching their friends obsess over pointless climbs to discovering new ways to play during internal tests. These hilarious recounts go to show just how much Baby Steps manages to create comedy both in front of the screen and behind it, often in ways that even the developers didn't expect.
Behind the Scenes, Baby Steps Is Just as Funny as Onscreen
One of Cuzzillo's first stories highlights just how stubborn and entertaining Baby Steps' challenges can be, as his cousin attempted to achieve a climbing feat the developers never designed to be achieved. The funniest part of this story is actually the fact that the developers allowed Cuzzillo's cousin so much time to attempt this climb and never told him that it was a fruitless endeavor, as the developer explained:
"One of my favorite reactions was from my cousin, who played about half the game before he came upon a rock formation he decided to try to climb. It wasn't something we designed, and it didn't lead anywhere in particular, but he became hell-bent on trying to get up it. It took him 8 hours of attempts in the end before he did it. Finding skate spots like that in the world is one of my favorite things to do in the game, and I hope more people find themselves drawn to this kind of play."
Cuzzillo never got into what his cousin's reaction was after spending 8 hours climbing a rock that led to nothing in Baby Steps, but one can imagine he might have been frustrated and annoyed, or he might have found it infuriatingly hilarious. Either way, at least the developers got a kick out of it, and they'll likely get a kick out of players doing the same thing once the game launches.
That playful spirit isn't just limited to the players, however, as the developers came up with their own ways to turn Baby Steps into something new, using it as both a testing tool and a kind of personal competition. Foddy elaborated on this when asked if the team had any fun internal stories they could share about what it was like playing the game behind the scenes:
"One of the various ways we go about finding bugs or flaws in the level design is to design race courses within the game world and try to finish fastest, with two computers side-by-side. I really recommend it as a way for friends to play together once they’ve beaten the game: write down a list of tasks or waypoints that might have multiple possible routes, and see who can do it faster. You'd be surprised how often a seemingly insurmountable lead is whittled away as the leader fails a simple climb over and over. I think you could even set up a version of the infamous Barkley Marathons in the game."
And these stories are most likely just the tip of the iceberg. Once players, streamers, and content creators get their hands on Baby Steps, there are bound to be many more hilarious tales where these came from. It's really just a reminder that Baby Steps' funniest moments are ultimately born out of the absurd situations it naturally puts players in.
- Released
- September 23, 2025
- Developer(s)
- Gabe Cuzzillo, Maxi Boch, Bennett Foddy
- Publisher(s)
- Devolver Digital
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Unknown
