WALKING SIMULATORS
BABBDI was developed by the Lemaitre Bros (Sirius Lemaitre and Léonard Lemaitre) just last year. It is a single-player game that targets gamers who enjoy exploring narrative-driven environments. The game is designed to tell a story through the act of walking, and it does so effectively by utilizing various formal elements of gameplay, such as:
- Players: The game is a single-player experience, with the player controlling the protagonist throughout the game.
- Objectives & Outcome: The main objective of the game is to explore the game’s world and discover the story of the protagonist. The outcome of the game is dependent on the player’s actions and choices, with different endings available based on the player’s interactions with the environment.
- Procedures & Rules: The game’s procedures involve walking through the environment, interacting with objects, and discovering clues that help to uncover the story. There are no explicit rules in the game, but the player is encouraged to explore and interact with the environment to progress.
- Resources: The primary resource in the game is the environment itself, with the player able to interact with various objects to gain insights into the story. The game also features a simple inventory system (there are secret collectible objects can be found all around town), allowing the player to collect and carry items that are necessary for progression.
- Boundaries: The game’s boundaries are defined by the environment, with the player unable to progress beyond BABBDI until they have found the necessary clues or items. The game also features some invisible boundaries that prevent the player from exploring areas outside of the game’s intended path.
Overall, I think that these formal elements work together to create an immersive and engaging walking simulator game that encourages exploration via narrative & discovery. The lack of explicit rules and objectives allows for a sense of freedom, while the boundaries and resources provide structure and direction to the player’s progression.
One of the most important mechanics in the game is the player’s ability to interact with the environment. By clicking on objects, the player can gain insight into the story and the world around them. This interaction is vital to the storytelling as it allows the player to discover details that may not be immediately apparent. The game’s world kind of creeped me out; I think that this design choice helps to convey the game’s themes of isolation and loneliness.
BABBDI is a game that is intended to be immersive and introspective. The type of fun that the game intends to provide is probably a combination of narrative & discovery, as aforementioned. The game’s pacing seems to be deliberately slow, (an acquired taste) allowing the player to take their time and absorb the environment.
The game meets its goals of telling a story through the act of walking. As the player progresses through the game, they learn more about the protagonist’s past and present through interactions with the environment. There are also moments where the game’s world transforms, providing a visual representation of the protagonist’s emotional journey. These moments are particularly successful, as they create a sense of unity between the player and the character.
One of the game’s epic fails, IMHO, is the lack of interactivity in certain areas. While the game encourages the player to explore, some areas of the game are dead ends, which can be frustrating for players who are trying to find all of the game’s secrets. Additionally, the game’s slow pacing may not be suitable for all players. I myself found it a bit boring, which could lead to a lack of engagement with the story.
To make the game better, one possible change could be to add more interactivity to the game’s environment. This could be done by adding more objects that the player can interact with or by creating more opportunities for the player to make choices that affect the story. Another possible change could be to add more variety to the game’s environments. While the game’s art style is definitely distinctive, some players may find the lack of variation in the environments to be monotonous.
