Babbdi

It’s been a while since I’ve last wrote. Partly because I’ve been busy, partly because I haven’t played anything aside for Genshin for a long time. Even though that game has a major update every six weeks (with a hefty amount of content in each one, it’s amazing), I am not entirely sure if people reading this site will care. So instead I will talk about a new game I just played that is quite something.

Babbdi is a … walking simulator? Puzzle platformer? Babbdi is a game where you try to navigate the eponymous town in order to get out. The only way out is via a train, and you need a ticket for it.

The game has actually never elaborated why your character wants to leave. And honestly, it doesn’t need to. The town of Babbdi is a dreary place, its atmosphere oppressive, and the sounds of lights buzzing, random yelling, and heavy machinery adds a sense of unease. There is no plot to deliver a reason for us to go, the setting did a pretty good job of that already.

It is not horror. At least, I don’t think so. You are essentially immortal, being able to drop from heights without so much as a nick on your ankles. There is nothing hunting you, no danger around the corner, no one to even jump out behind a corner and shout “BOO”. Most of the people you meet are pleasant or just straight up helpful. Yet, throughout my very short playthrough, I felt this strange mixture of fear, discomfort, and sorrow.

The town, full of high rise buildings, were probably meant to be homes for a large, bustling community. Yet the buildings stood tall, dark, and quiet. Whoever you found are literally just trying to live as best as they could, sustaining themselves off whatever they can scrape out. The playground was deserted, with only a lone dog by the side barking at a wall.

The conditions of the people were horrible, yet there is no sense of hostility from them. When an NPC you met early on managed to secure train tickets to leave town, no one begrudge him for it. Not even a “why him?”. Even the person I met who does not want to speak to me simply told me to leave. A tad bit rude, but I was the one who went up to his door first. I slowly walked towards the borders of the town, talking to the people I met on the way.

And as I reached the very edge of the town, I saw it. Walls, taller than the highest building, surrounded the town for as much as I can see. Yet, when I looked back at the town, it looked a little less foreboding. Perhaps it’s because I can finally get a good look at the sky, even though it is grey and foggy. Maybe it’s just because I am not walled in by buildings on all sides anymore. Unfortunately, my way out of this town is back in that mass of grey blocks.

To get around town, there are a few tools that you can find. The Icepick tool for example allows you to climb almost any surface, and there’s a motorcycle available too. All in all, the game is not hard, and can be beaten in minutes. There’s an achievement for beating this game in under four minutes, in fact.

What this game does amazingly well, though, is its atmosphere. And that is something best experienced firsthand. Give it a go, it’s free, and it won’t take much time. But it’ll certainly leave an impression.