Baby Steps is a 'literal walking simulator' from Bennett Foddy that looks like QWOP-ing your way through Skyrim

Nate is an unemployed (and from the looks of it, unemployable) sad sack. He sprawls on the couch in his parent's basement in a grubby onesie, smoking weed and eating junk food, until his TV asks him "Are you still watching One Piece?"

But then Nate discovers an amazing power: walking. Transported to a mysterious, misty world, Nate must put one foot in front of the other—which is going to be harder than you might expect because Baby Steps is a "literal walking simulator" co-developed by Bennett Foddy, the person behind extremely difficult movement games QWOP and Getting Over It.

"Explore a world shrouded in mist, one step at a time," reads a press release. "Hike the serene mountains by placing each footstep yourself, in original physics-based gameplay from the minds behind Ape Out and Getting Over It. Take in the sights, fall in love with the local fauna, and try to find meaning in a wasted life."

The trailer is hilarious—even years after QWOP I can't help laughing at any game with awkward walking, stumbling, and falling. The misty world gives me a bit of a Skyrim vibe with those rocky mountain passes, misty fields, muddy roads, and darkened caverns Nate haltingly and uncertainty steps, staggers, and trips his way though. I can't wait to play it, and I'm especially curious about the control system we'll be using to place each of Nate's awkward footsteps.

Baby Steps isn't just about walking: As you see in the trailer there are encounters with other characters, such as when Nate kicks over a rock pile and angers one of the locals. And there's more, according to the Baby Steps feature list:

Fully-simulated physics based walking
A world that seems to come alive with a dynamic soundtrack built up out of four hundred and twenty beats and vibes
A lengthy trek up a mountain-sized mountain that you can explore at your own pace, or slower
Fully dynamic onesie soilage system
Non-collectible hats

Hats you can't collect, a special system to dirty up your onesie, and no ticking clock to make you race? Yes, I am very interested in Baby Steps. Sadly, the game won't be setting foot on our PCs until 2024.

Chris started playing PC games in the 1980s, started writing about them in the early 2000s, and (finally) started getting paid to write about them in the late 2000s. Following a few years as a regular freelancer, PC Gamer hired him in 2014, probably so he'd stop emailing them asking for more work. Chris has a love-hate relationship with survival games and an unhealthy fascination with the inner lives of NPCs. He's also a fan of offbeat simulation games, mods, and ignoring storylines in RPGs so he can make up his own.