Baby Steps Devs Give Us a Baby-Step Walkthrough of The Game’s Development

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The upcoming game Baby Steps is designed as a true ‘walking simulator,’ focusing on unique and challenging physics. The developers recently discussed their vision for the game with Game Rant, explaining how they’re bringing this concept to life.

The game *Baby Steps* shares similarities with “rage games,” but aims for a calming experience rather than frustration. Players will navigate a misty, mountainous world using a unique physics system designed to mimic the feeling of learning to walk. We spoke with the three developers of *Baby Steps* (Bennett Foddy, Maxi Boch, and Gabe Cuzzillo) about the game’s origins and development process. This interview has been shortened and edited for easier reading.

The Devs Behind Baby Steps Talk Development, Prototypes, and Working With Devolver

Baby Steps’ Inception

Game Rant asked: Could you tell us about the very beginning of this project? What was the initial idea, and how much did it change as you were making the game?

We didn’t officially approve the project at first, but we gradually realized this prototype had the most potential. I recall Bennett suggesting around two months in that it could be something special. We were already having fun with it, even just testing the basic movement. The core idea of the game hasn’t really changed since those early stages; it’s more that we’ve expanded and built upon it over time.

Game Rant asked: Could you describe the early development stages of *Baby Steps*, including the initial prototyping and pre-production work?

According to Foddy, the initial game prototype was extremely simple – just a few boxes representing feet, glowing spheres for the rear, and lines for legs. The second version featured a standard helicopter pilot flying over a tiny patch of mountain, roughly 4 by 20 meters. By the third prototype, they had expanded the environment significantly, placing Nate on a large, foggy, and rainy mountain.

Game Rant asks: Can you describe the development of *Baby Steps* during its early stages (the first few months or years)? And how has development been over the past year?

I spent the first year of development mainly building things up, and the last year focused on taking things away. At one point, the game’s story had a huge cast of around 45 characters!

Game Rant: What was the moment you “found the fun” for Baby Steps?

I believe the initial enjoyment was present even in Gabe’s very first version from 2019. It was simple – just sticks and boxes, without the realistic physics we have now. That’s actually quite rare for 3D games, as they usually need a lot of features working correctly before they become fun.

Game Rant: How did you land on its current visual/audio design?

As a fan, I always loved the look of the game, and I recently learned about where that came from! The designer, Foddy, was aiming for a specific feeling, and he found inspiration in an artwork by Tyler Rhodes around late 2019. Rhodes was experimenting with Artbreeder, creating these really atmospheric images of candles rising from misty landscapes. Foddy said it reminded him of old movie sets with cheesy special effects, or even some of Max Ernst’s surreal paintings. That feeling of mystery and slight artificiality was exactly what he wanted to make the player, as Nate, feel like they didn’t quite belong – a ‘fish out of water’ – and really connect with the gameplay.

Okay, so after finishing up development on *Ape Out*, I was kinda burnt out and started messing around with making beats in the shower – it just sounded good! I’d already used water sounds in *Ape Out*’s music, and when I was building the gameplay for *Baby Steps*, it hit me that music made from natural sounds would be *perfect*. The game is about this dude taking a really trippy hike, and that kind of music just fit the vibe.

The Goal of Baby Steps’ Design

Game Rant: What were the driving goals or game pillars throughout development?

We always knew we didn’t want this game to suffer from unnecessary complexity or a style that our team finds uninspired.

When creating a game with a large, open world, it’s easy to feel like you need to add lots of extra features to make it feel full. You see this in many expensive games – things like collecting items, crafting, managing resources, unlocking parts of the map, long lists of quests, and ways to quickly travel around. We strongly believed that the main gameplay of our game was already interesting and complex enough, so we deliberately avoided adding all those extra systems. This decision really shaped the entire design of the game.

Game Rant asks whether the game *Baby Steps* is deliberately playing with, or even making fun of, the ‘walking simulator’ genre, given that its marketing emphasizes it being a very straightforward example of one.

I see it as a playful twist on big, open-world games like *Assassin’s Creed*. Those games also require a lot of simply moving through the environment, after all.

Game Rant recently discussed the label “walking simulator.” They point out that games like *Getting Over It* and *Baby Steps*, which focus heavily on movement and challenge, might actually fit the description better than games commonly called “walking sims.” They’re curious to know what people think of the term and whether we’ll see more games like these emerge as a distinct genre.

As a gamer, I’ve noticed people call certain games “walking sims,” and it’s interesting how developers have actually *embraced* that label. Originally, it was kind of a dismissive term used by players for games focused on exploration and atmosphere. It’s not that we’re just simulating walking, obviously! I’m a big fan of the genre, honestly. I’ve played a ton of them – everything from popular titles like *Dear Esther* and *Gone Home* to some really unique, lesser-known games like *Fugue in Void* or *Far Future Tourism*. What I think connects all these games is a desire to break away from the usual conventions you find in other genres.

Game Rant asked: Games like this often do well on streaming platforms. Did you include any features in *Baby Steps*, or in how it’s presented, that would appeal to streamers?

We wanted the game to be enjoyable for both players and viewers! For streamers, we focused on slapstick humor and gave them freedom to experiment and create interesting moments. Plus, there are extra challenges available for those who want a tougher experience.

As a sound designer, I aim to make the experience of watching and playing the game as exciting and immersive as possible. We want failure to be a core part of the experience, so I focus on making even those moments sound and feel good – that way, both players and viewers will have more fun.

Game Rant asks: Devolver Digital published *Baby Steps*. Could you tell us more about how that partnership came about and why you felt they were the right publisher for the game?

We had a great experience collaborating with Devolver on *Ape Out* and were eager to team up with them again – they’re fantastic partners!

Even though Devolver continues to release *Serious Sam*, they’re a fantastic team, and we wouldn’t want to partner with anyone else.

Baby Steps Beyond Launch

Reactions to Baby Steps

I was so thrilled to see Game Rant mention that Shuhei Yoshida – a really important figure at PlayStation – said our game, *Baby Steps*, was one he was most looking forward to playing this year! It’s honestly a bit surreal. We haven’t actually *met* Mr. Yoshida yet, but just knowing someone with his influence and experience has faith in what we’re creating is incredibly motivating and a huge boost for the whole team. It makes all the hard work feel worthwhile!

It’s amazing to see Yoshida’s support for games, especially because it feels like things have come full circle. He was a huge champion of my previous music game studio, FreQuency, at SCA, and honestly, he’s a big reason I became a game developer. Music is my passion, and if he hadn’t believed in a music game studio, I might not be working in this field today.

I haven’t personally met Shuhei Yoshida, but Sony has been really supportive of the game throughout its development. It’s great that a major platform like Sony has been so receptive to a game that playfully criticizes some of the biggest, most popular console games – those huge open-world titles.

Game Rant: Have any player reactions, QA tests, etc., stood out to you?

One of the most rewarding experiences for me has been watching my cousin play. He spent about half the game exploring, and eventually found a rock formation he was determined to climb. We didn’t intentionally create that climb, and it didn’t lead to anything specific, but he was completely focused on reaching the top. It actually took him eight hours of trying before he finally succeeded! Discovering unexpected places to skate like that is one of my favorite aspects of the game, and I hope other players enjoy similar experiences.

Game Rant asked: Were there any interesting or funny moments that happened while the team was actually playing the game during development?

As a huge fan of this game, I’ve been following the development closely, and I love how the designers find bugs! They actually build race tracks *inside* the game and compete to finish the fastest, using two computers at once. It’s brilliant! They’ve even suggested that once you beat the game, you and a friend could do the same thing – create a list of challenges with different paths and race to complete them. Apparently, it’s amazing how quickly a big lead can disappear if the frontrunner keeps messing up something simple. They even joked about recreating the Barkley Marathons, which sounds absolutely wild and perfect for this game!

Game Rant asks if the development team has attempted any speedruns of the game. They note that players often discover faster ways to complete games than developers expect, and are curious about the estimated difference between the average completion time and the fastest speedruns.

We don’t actively try to prevent players from discovering shortcuts, so we anticipate speedrunners will complete the game much faster – likely in under 5% of the time it takes a new player to finish their first playthrough. There’s a lot of potential to improve how you play and uncover clever ways to skip sections.

Game Rant: Are there any plans or ideas in place for post-release content?

We’re planning to continue improving the sound design in Baby Steps for several months after the game launches. We have some exciting updates planned and are committed to making the audio experience even better over time.

I’m really focused on creating a developer commentary for the game. It won’t be a typical commentary, and I don’t want to give away any surprises!

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2025-09-17 17:12