Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Posted

babisyouheadera.jpg

Publisher: Hempuli
Developer: Hempuli
Release: March 13, 2019
Reviewed on: Switch
Also on: PC, Mac

Early puzzles in Baba is You are a series of personal epiphanies. With a limited tutorial, I immediately understood how the game works, why its weird name makes perfect sense, and how moving even just one block the right way can make everything change. I felt brilliant as I transformed the properties of each puzzle to get the win – but then things got complicated.

Click here to watch embedded media

Baba is You combines familiar block-moving puzzles with a simplified programming language. Most of the blocks in any given puzzle represent nouns, conjunctions, and verbs, and they must be combined to solve a puzzle. The game’s title is the perfect example: A “Baba” block next to an “is” block next to a “you” block puts you in control of Baba. If you disconnect those blocks, you are no longer Baba, so you lose control and have to fix your mistake using the helpful undo button. That core idea is stretched across 200 levels in interesting ways. I liked when puzzles demanded strange ideas, like taking control of the walls guarding the win point, or making every tree turn into a key so I could move one to unlock a door. Especially early in the game, I enjoyed toying around with the assorted ways I could arrange blocks to figure out solutions. The core mechanic of Baba is You is clever, but as the game continues, it adds too many variables and gives way to frustration over fun.

Click image thumbnails to view larger version

ss_4e489dcc482e3f094cd8caf0a10317fdc71345af.jpg ss_9eadb1cdc09f574d49d32a722d7bda5813c96a64.jpg ss_908c8a4fd0ffec9f29341eb50eb7f074c105342f.jpg ss_ac1cc1552628933847698ea79ec65bd8531b4274.jpg ss_c535fc337bdb15bfe35a164cc13db7ec92fd1f44.jpg ss_e421ba3fb93e902eb4af05564ebf3afcabaae951.jpg

 

                                                                                                            

Like a good puzzle game, Baba is You expands on a smart core mechanic, but it all ends up overlapping onto itself to become too complicated. The variables change level to level, so before you begin the process of solving, you need to analyze a checklist to figure out what you can and can’t do. For example, sometimes water makes you sink, sometimes it melts you. I often had what I believed to be a smart solution ready to go, only to learn that the object properties I had become accustomed to were no longer applicable. In one level I changed a door into a different object I could move to access the winning flag, but in another level, the door had to remain a door and could not be changed. This diminishes the entertaining experimentation and makes late-game puzzle solving exhausting and unsatisfying.

The core puzzle-solving mechanic in Baba is You is smart, and has the potential to open up puzzles in myriad way. But when the rules change in each level, it makes the through line to the solution more difficult to find than it should be. Baba is You sings during its early puzzles when there are multiple solutions and lots of opportunities to feel like a genius, but when the variables pile up, it becomes restrictive.

babaisyou.jpg

Score: 7

Summary: Baba is You makes you feel brilliant as you transform the properties of each puzzle to get the win in the early game – but then things get complicated.

Concept: Combine block-moving puzzles with a simple programming language to create clever riddles that give players lots of control

Graphics: Baba and the puzzle pieces all have a cute “wiggly crayon on black paper” design that makes it easy to read and understand what is happening on screen

Sound: The subdued music is quiet and relaxing, which is helpful when you’ve been staring at a single puzzle for 30 minutes

Playability: Moving Baba (or whoever you are controlling) on the grid feels good, and the undo button means you are never frustrated by small mistakes

Entertainment: Baba is You is smart, but as later levels force you to consider more variables, the charm wears away

Replay: Moderately low

Click to Purchase

View the full article

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Guidelines Privacy Policy.