Baba Is You
Year: 2019
Rating: E
Time Played: 1,604 minutes / 26.73 hours

Every once in a while, a puzzle game comes along that is so unique in its presentation and gameplay that you almost wonder why nobody else has done something like this before. Most puzzle games—especially puzzle platformers—rely on some amount of “programming” where the user changes part of the environment to get to the end of each level. While using a top-down view (and thus removing the “platforming” aspect), Baba Is You‘s, core gameplay mechanic is programming. It’s such a simple and well-executed concept that is as elegant as it is mind-bendingly frustrating.

The goal of each level of Baba Is You is to reach the flag to win. The trick is, you can move around various word blocks to create programming statements. For example, “BABA IS YOU” defines the variable “BABA” as the player character, “YOU.” Using modifiers to other program statements located in the level, rocks can become flags, water can move, and skulls can float. The map system is flexible enough to allow you to explore lots of different puzzles in case one of them stumps you. The trouble is, sometimes all the available puzzles are hard enough to stall forward progress.

Learning curves are often a staple of puzzle games. What you learn at one level, you can apply in future levels. In Baba Is You, you are given everything you need to know from the get-go, and you aren’t given much guidance on how to combine the words other than through trial and error. Sometimes, the solution is so ridiculously out of the box that you have to laugh at its simplicity or growl at its complex obtuseness. I definitely had to use a guide to get past some of the last levels, and there are still levels I haven’t bothered to complete. Still, it’s a fun and cute game with a relaxing atmosphere that everyone should try.

A pure programming puzzle game, I give Baba Is You 4.5 stars out of 5.

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