Baba Is You
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About
Baba is You is an indie puzzle game developed and published by Arvi "Hempuli" Teikari. The game features a unique gameplay mechanic in which a player is presented with "rules" represented by tiles that they can manipulate to complete puzzles. The game received high praise after its March 13th, 2019 release on Windows, MacOS, and Nintendo Switch.
Gameplay
In Baba If You, characters control a 2D pixel creature called Baba. The objective of each of the game's 200 levels is to reach a flag. Words corresponding to rules also appear in tiles, which can be pushed to change their meaning and the rules of the board. For example, in the first level, Baba is separated from the flag by a wall in a room with the text "WALL IS STOP." By moving the "stop" tile, Baba can pass through the wall.
History
The game was developed by Finnish game developer Arvi Teikari, also known as Hempuli, for the 2017 Nordic Game Jam, where it won first place.[1] The game was announced on the August 20th, 2018 Nintendo Direct focusing on "Nindies" or independent game titles on the Switch.
The game was released March 13th, 2019 for Switch, MacOS, and Windows.
Reception
The game was very well reviewed upon release. Polygon[2] called it one of the best puzzlers in years, writing, "Baba Is You asks me to toss my assumptions about how rules in video games work, to analyze how and why they exist in the first place. And that sort of reprogramming of my brain, oddly enough, happens best when the game is turned off." Pocket Gamer[3] wrote "This is a puzzle fan's dream β a game that encourages you to break all the rules and find your own solutions to its myriad problems. Baba is Very, Very Good." As of May 20th, 2019, the game has an 87/100 on Metacritic.[4]
Online Presence
The game only has 157 likes on Facebook[5] but does have a wide fan art community on Tumblr [6] (examples shown below). On Twitter, the game's official account[7] has over 11,000 followers and Hempuli's own account having 7,000 followers.[8]
Search Interest
External References
[1] Kotaku β A Puzzle Game Where You Rewrite The Rules Of Each Level
[2] Polygon β Baba Is You review one of the best puzzle games in years
[3] PocketGamer β Baba is You Switch review β Puzzling perfection in every way
[4] Metacritic β Baba Is You
[5] Facebook β Baba Is You
[6] Tumblr β Baba Is You
[7] Twitter β @babaisyou__
[8] Twitter β @ESAdevlog
Top Comments
Mr. Plankton
May 20, 2019 at 12:16AM EDT
Wallace and Grommet
May 20, 2019 at 01:15PM EDT