Rating of
4/5
BRAIN IS MELT
Nick - wrote on 10/04/25
Baba Is You doesn’t have a traditional narrative story, there’s no unfolding plot, cutscenes, or dialogue. Instead, the story is largely abstract and told through the game’s progression, environments, and evolving rulesets. This isn’t surprising given the nature of the game, focusing squarely on the puzzles. Progression happens naturally through solving levels and unlocking new areas, revealing increasingly complex word blocks and combinations, making it more difficult to solve levels.
Presentation
Visually, Baba Is You is simple, and I like it. The minimalist pixel art gives it a retro feel, and the muted color palette keeps the screen from becoming visually overwhelming even in complex levels. The music is calm and repetitive in a good way, somewhat unobtrusive and meditative, which suits the trial-and-error nature of the gameplay.
Gameplay
This is where Baba Is You stands out. The entire game is built around changing the rules of the level by physically pushing word blocks to form or break phrases like "BABA IS YOU", “WALL IS STOP”, and "LAVA IS DEFEAT." These mechanics create a playground of logic where the rules are the puzzle. The non-linear progression lets you skip or return to levels, which is welcome, because the difficulty ramps up fast. Later levels are genuinely hard, and I didn’t finish several of the later areas. Some phrases can feel unintuitive or loosely defined, which can lead to frustrating trial-and-error. That said, the rewind function makes experimentation more enjoyable and less punishing. I did find in later areas with difficult levels, I had to be in the right mood to want to play the game.
Originality
I've never played a puzzle game quite like this one. The idea of manipulating the game’s logic using in-level text is incredibly clever and opens up a huge range of possibilities. The closest comparison from my experience might be the old Lolo games, but those don't use language as a gameplay tool. Baba Is You stands out as a uniquely original title in a genre that often leans on familiar mechanics.
Replay Value
With ten areas and over 200 levels, Baba Is You offers a lot of content, and the non-linear level structure adds flexibility. I completed six areas fully, and even then, I didn’t feel like I’d seen everything the game had to offer. The complexity of the puzzles means you might revisit levels with fresh eyes or a new approach later on. However, the difficulty may deter some players from coming back unless they're in the right mindset. From a true replay sense, once you solve a level you wouldn’t come back, but the value does come from coming back to the game to try to solve levels you haven’t figured out yet.
Overall Recommendation
If you enjoy puzzle games and are looking for something that will truly challenge your brain, Baba Is You is an excellent and unique experience. It’s not for everyone, the steep learning curve, reliance on experimentation, and sometimes vague mechanics can be off-putting. But if you’re patient, persistent, and love puzzles that make you feel brilliant one moment and baffled the next, this is a game worth playing. Just know going in your brain might melt.
Stats
Hours Played: 49.5
Achievements: 7/18 (38%)
Ratings
Story: 3/5
Presentation: 4/5
Game Play: 4.5/5
Originality: 5/5
Replay Value: 3.5/5
Overall (not an average) 4/5
