The Besties – "Baby Steps is Video Game Heaven and Hell"

Release Date: September 26, 2025
Hosts: Griffin McElroy, Justin McElroy, Chris Plante, Russ Frushtick

Episode Overview

This episode centers around two big topics: a deep-dive review of the quirky climbing game Baby Steps and an in-depth, often hilarious roundtable on the wild west of handheld retro game consoles in 2025. The crew also shares some quick impressions on recent game releases, with side tangents about bodily clones, digital nudity, and favorite gaming moments of the year.
Main theme: Grappling with games that push players out of their comfort zones, whether that's physically clumsy controls or the chaos of today's handheld retro emulation landscape.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Baby Steps: Taking Clumsy Hiking to a New Level

What is Baby Steps?

• Developed by creators of QWOP, Ape Out, and Getting Over It, Baby Steps is a physics-based walking simulator where players meticulously control each of the protagonist’s legs to ascend a mountain.
• Premise: Every step is individually controlled; you literally learn to walk again, battling muddy slopes, creekside cliffs, and unpredictable physics objects.

Why Is it Different from Other Bennett Foddy Games?

• Less Punishing Than "Getting Over It":
  • Griffin: “I have not had any experience remotely that rough in Baby Steps… It is fun to play a Bennett Foddy game and feel like I am progressing and not like that is going to be snatched away from me at a moment's notice the first time that I fuck up.” [05:07]
• Slow and Steady Wins:
  • Chris Plante: “You can go fast, but you're rewarded for going very slow… actually looking at the way your legs flex and your feet take a grip on the environment.” [06:19]
• Russ: “It’s in my top five and maybe in my top three of the year right now. I am completely fucking smitten by this game.” [07:25]

The Zen of Failure and Exploration

• Falling is Part of the Design:
  • Justin: “I found it strangely zen… I felt like I was meeting the game on its own level.” [08:25]
  • Russ: “They want you to fall. They want you to walk maybe a different way than the way you walked because they want you to find the weird shit that they made.” [11:45]
• Exploration Is Rewarded, Not Just Progress:
  • Chris Plante: “You can either look at life as like punishment, as a series of like falling down, or you can look at it as like this playground where you could voluntarily choose to jump off that diving board and go… pursue all the adventures that are in the wrong direction…” [14:28]
• Accept Frustration as the Point:
  • Justin: “If this was most games, what I would be complaining about is saying, well, if that is the experience that makes...this pleasurable, then the game should be doing more to put me into that mindset… But I think if they came out and said this is gonna be frustrating, just embrace it, then it wouldn't...feel the same.” [15:09]

Humor and Narrative

• Improv Writing, Socially Inept Protagonist:
  • Griffin: “The writing is so fucking funny… your main character Nate is this sort of...deeply, socially inept kind of guy who lives in his parents’ basement ...every character he meets, he does not want to talk to. He wants to get out of the conversation as quickly as possible.” [16:31]
  • Russ: "All the side characters are Bennett, and the main character is Gabe [all improvised]." [22:24]
• Meta Jokes & UI Gags:
  • Russ: “At one point he's like, oh, just use your grappling hook. And it gives you a UI element of a grappling hook that you absolutely can never get.” [17:40]
  • Russ: “When you're skipping cutscenes, they change the interaction each time...like a quick reload, like Gears of War…” [17:49]

Masculinity, Manosphere Satire, and Nudity

• Social Commentary:
  • Chris Plante: “It is very much about, like, dudes who are too online, do not have opportunities for social connection, feel ostracized from society and get sucked into like basically manosphere culture. And the whole game from there opens up to be about masculinity and like the pressure to do certain things.” [19:53]
• Yes, There Are a Lot of Cartoon Penises:
  • Russ: “There are more cocks in this game than I've ever seen. No joke in any other game ever.” [19:40]

Personal Stories & Memorable Moments

• The Great Swing Fiasco:
  • Chris Plante: “I found that exact same tree with that exact same swing… Turns out they had a little bit of moss, a little wet moss on him. Slipped, didn't even make it to the fucking swing…” [12:35]
• "Hoops moments" as the team's slang for major faceplants:
  • Justin: “And is that sort of our slang term for fucking up that we're all agreeing on? Hoops. Like a hoops moment is something where you've made a mistake and embarrassed yourself.” [24:53]
• Russ's auto-save disaster:
  • Russ: “So I made it to the hat. I go to bend down for the hat, and I fall ass over teakettle...I quit the game. I reload the game. I am in midair, falling.” [27:35]

2. 2025's Retro Handheld Console Madness

The State of the Market

• Totally Overwhelming: Four major brands, dozens of models, and a naming system only a spreadsheet could love.
• Companies Discussed: Anbernic, Ayaneo, Ayn, Retroid, and upstarts like "Game Console" and "Mangme."
• Constant Hardware Arms Race: New consoles every six months, tons of knockoffs and sub-brands.

Highlights & Recommendations

• Anbernic RG477M:
  • Justin: “It’s a really nice form factor...not so expensive that it makes me nauseous to carry it with me.” [52:13]
  • $250–$400, plays up to PS2 at high settings
• Ayaneo Pocket DS / Flip 1S:
  • $500–$1,500; dual-screen and Windows/Android options
• Retroid add-on for dual screens:
  • Griffin is awaiting delivery; $70; attaches to various handhelds
• Mangme Air X:
  • $80, shockingly high quality for the price

Notable Quotes & Moments

• Griffin, upon seeing a new model: "I simply cannot be bothered to fuck around with a Windows-based retro gaming handheld." [38:40]
• Justin, describing "Game Console": “This is the hottest new player in the space. A company called Game Console. That rules.” [47:06]
• Russ on candy-bar form factor: “I don't hold a fucking candy bar like that. You're crazy.” [43:47]

Buyer Beware: Chaos & Confusion

• Justin: “A lot of these companies… are all kind of dipping from the same well and in terms of parts, which is like phone parts that are not used anymore... That is where we're getting the hardware.” [41:16]
• Naming insanity: Every company has its own system, many look and feel the same, pricing often does NOT reflect capability.

3. What Else Are We Playing?

• Silksong (finally out, big hit for Griffin & Russ)
• Final Fantasy: The Ivalice Chronicles (Tactics remake, getting love for its updated design)
• Slime Rancher 2 (now version 1.0; chill farm management fun)
• Mega Bonk (Vampire Survivors-like, 3D, very addictive, low-poly carnage)
• Hades 2 (out of Early Access; “a lot to keep track of,” but rewarding)
• Silent Hill F (early impressions; “not very Silent Hill, but very much its own thing,” “gorgeous looking game”)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Baby Steps philosophy:
  • Chris Plante [14:28]: “You can either look at life as like punishment, as a series of like falling down, or you can look at it as like this playground where you could voluntarily choose to jump off that diving board and go…”
• On motivation:
  • Justin [26:07]: “You knew the job was dangerous when you took it, Fred. And I felt that a lot playing this game...If you're continuing to engage with it, you're doing that of your own accord.”
• On the slew of weird tech:
  • Griffin [47:29]: “I'm so nervous what’s going to pop up.”
• On multi-Griffin clones:
  • Russ [01:19]: “Wait, are you the dumb one? And I didn't realize you were.”
• On in-game nudity:
  • Russ [19:40]: “There are more cocks in this game than I've ever seen. No joke in any other game ever.”

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:00 – 03:21 | Multiplicity/Cloning cold open
• 03:21 – 28:58 | Baby Steps: review, impressions, philosophy
• 29:01 – 53:12 | Handheld retro consoles: state of the art & recommendations (starts with Justin's presentation; detailed breakdown begins ~30:41)
• 53:12 – 61:49 | "What else are we playing?"—Silksong, Final Fantasy Ivalice Chronicles, Mega Bonk, Hades 2, Silent Hill F
• 62:21 – End | Patreon shout-outs, next week’s episode preview

Tone & Style

• Signature Besties banter: Candid, self-deprecating, nerdy, and peppered with inside jokes and detours.
• Language: Cursing, jokes about nudity, and a distinct “best friends at a sleepover” vibe.
• Balance: Earnest insights alternating with zany stories and tangents, often about bodily functions or childhood TV references.

Summary Takeaway

Baby Steps is a game about giving up control, embracing failure, and enjoying the weird, meandering journey rather than rushing to the summit. For the Besties, it’s one of the year’s surprising joys—punishing but fair, silly but profound, and packed with memorable moments.
On the hardware front, handheld retro gaming has never been wilder (or more confusing), but the hosts offer helpful guidance for anyone looking to jump in.

Besties’ Verdict:

• Play Baby Steps with an open mind and a sense of humor.
• Don’t stress about the handheld console hype machine—pick what matches your budget and nostalgia needs.

Next week: Ghost to Yote (Ghost of Tsushima spiritual follow-up)

Find the newsletter and Justin’s full retro console master list at besties.fan.