How Baba Is You Works

00:00:01.270[Music]

00:00:03.620every December I use my last video of

00:00:06.810the year to celebrate the most

00:00:08.400innovative and inventive game I played

00:00:10.860in the last 12 months in previous years

00:00:13.740I've looked at the YouTube detective

00:00:15.660drama her story the uncanny chatbot game

00:00:18.720event zero the serpent simulator snake

00:00:21.750bass and a time-traveling murder mystery

00:00:24.210return of leo burden these games have

00:00:26.880done things I've never seen before and

00:00:28.890our impressive info fair idea and their

00:00:31.590execution they might not be the very

00:00:33.809best games of their respective years but

00:00:36.030when it comes to fresh concepts done

00:00:37.980well these are the games I would

00:00:39.870recommend I certainly had a lot of

00:00:42.300choices to pick from for 2019 like the

00:00:45.030combat free role-playing game disco

00:00:47.370Elysium the hilarious Hong comeup

00:00:49.620untitled goose game the sci-fi

00:00:51.649archeology game outer wilds and the

00:00:54.449other sci-fi archaeology game heaven's

00:00:56.879volt but this year nothing quite beat

00:01:00.120the mind-melting puzzle game Babur

00:01:02.760is you now from first glance this game

00:01:07.860looks pretty simple you hop around a

00:01:10.080grid and push blocks making it part of a

00:01:12.570sub-genre of block shoving puzzlers all

00:01:15.000inspired by their Japanese game soccer

00:01:17.400ban here's where things start getting

00:01:19.950strange though in each level the rules

00:01:22.439of the game are written on screen as

00:01:24.360simple sentences like Baba is you which

00:01:27.420means you control this funny white

00:01:29.070critter called Baba or wall is stopped

00:01:32.040which means you can't walk through walls

00:01:33.990Rock is push means you can shove rocks

00:01:36.810around and flag is win means touching

00:01:39.659the flag will finish the level and then

00:01:42.570here's the kicker

00:01:43.799those rules are themselves blocks that

00:01:46.770can be pushed around allowing you to

00:01:48.780break the logic that dictates the level

00:01:50.790at hand and create entirely new gameplay

00:01:53.040by rewriting the rules remove the word

00:01:55.829stop from Wallace stop for example and

00:01:58.590now you can waltz straight past balls

00:02:00.420change flag is win - rock is win and now

00:02:04.560the rock

00:02:05.320comes your goal or push rock into this

00:02:07.720sentence and you switch the main

00:02:09.280character of the game into a tiny brown

00:02:11.500boulder cheeky and thus begins a few

00:02:14.530hundred levels where the solution is

00:02:16.690never to simply reach the goal but to

00:02:18.970rewrite the rules of the universe until

00:02:21.580you're in a world where the goal is now

00:02:23.830reachable it is infinitely intelligent

00:02:26.200and endlessly surprising it's tough but

00:02:29.110far from impossible and practically

00:02:30.970every level is a revelatory experience

00:02:33.160with a satisfying aha moment and if you

00:02:35.830haven't played it yet and now is your

00:02:37.510time to pause the video head to steam or

00:02:40.300the switch a shop and get the game I

00:02:42.670hope that you love it but when you're

00:02:45.010done remember to come back and we'll

00:02:46.930chat more about how the game builds its

00:02:48.910brain busting puzzles

00:02:51.610baba is you is the brainchild of Finnish

00:02:54.550indie developer avi takari

00:02:56.500he told me over email back in April that

00:02:59.050he was inspired to make the game as part

00:03:01.090of the 2017 Nordic game jam the jams

00:03:04.300theme was not there and the word not

00:03:07.240made him think of logic operators in

00:03:09.370programming languages combine that with

00:03:11.440a block pushing puzzle game like snake

00:03:13.720bird or Steven sausage roll and this

00:03:16.240resulted in a mental image of a block of

00:03:18.459ice not melting in hot lava due to the

00:03:21.400statement ice is not melt the scrappy

00:03:24.750prototypical bhava is you ended up

00:03:27.070winning that game jam and the reaction

00:03:29.230was so positive that Akari decided to

00:03:31.390take his underbaked jam game and turn it

00:03:33.850into a full fat release two years later

00:03:36.280and the designer had about 219 ultra

00:03:39.340clever levels for players to work

00:03:40.930through so how exactly is one of these

00:03:44.230babba is you levels made to start takari

00:03:48.130tries to think of an interesting

00:03:49.720interaction or setup that could come out

00:03:52.780of the game's encyclopedia of words and

00:03:55.270rules pull for example could lead to a

00:03:57.880level where Kiki needs to drag a key

00:04:00.010across a lake a teleporter doesn't just

00:04:02.799have to move objects but could also be

00:04:04.930used to move around the rules themselves

00:04:06.850and the word has could lend itself to a

00:04:09.970level where you drop a box every time

00:04:12.010Kiki dies but that box immediately turns

00:04:14.709back into Kiki bonkers speaking at the

00:04:17.769game lab conference in Barcelona this

00:04:19.720summer Tacori said so when I got this

00:04:22.270idea of hey that would be cool to see in

00:04:24.310a level I tried to figure out what kind

00:04:27.250of a level do I have to build so that

00:04:29.050when the player is playing the level

00:04:31.030they have to use that interaction and

00:04:33.760that's where we get to the fascinating

00:04:35.770contradiction at the heart of babba is

00:04:37.570you because while this is a game that

00:04:39.490offers a seemingly infinite world of

00:04:41.590possibilities its puzzles are largely

00:04:43.840defined by what you can't do

00:04:46.000because while making an open-ended

00:04:48.760puzzle game sounds great it's open to

00:04:51.190easy answers like Scribblenauts where

00:04:53.620half the levels can be finished by

00:04:55.330writing in the word jetpack so the

00:04:57.940designers job is to actually lock you in

00:05:00.280and force restrictions on you and in

00:05:02.860babba is you that's achieved by the

00:05:04.720words

00:05:05.409that are and aren't on screen the way

00:05:07.539some sentences are pushed against walls

00:05:09.339or locked behind fences and the

00:05:11.009claustrophobic grid that constricts your

00:05:13.029movements with these restrictions in

00:05:15.309place the designer can lock off easy

00:05:17.529answers and force you to find the clever

00:05:20.050trick at the heart of the puzzle takari

00:05:22.419calls this process reverse engineering

00:05:24.580of essentially starting with the

00:05:26.559solution and then working backwards to

00:05:28.779throw up restrictions and make a puzzle

00:05:31.059that supports it as an example take the

00:05:33.849level Babur doesn't respond in this

00:05:36.669level we play as Kiki and the solution

00:05:39.309is to use two belts to redirect a moving

00:05:42.099Babur so how does the designer force

00:05:44.800this interaction well let's start by

00:05:47.409putting a wall and a lock door between

00:05:49.539Kiki and the flag if we put a rule here

00:05:53.169like door is shut and open we can push

00:05:56.409the word shut over and then go over to

00:05:58.899the flag

00:06:02.900but if we put a reed here and make it so

00:06:06.690that creating the first sentence

00:06:08.150simultaneously makes the rule read is

00:06:10.680defeat we suddenly put Kiki in a pickle

00:06:13.850opening the door also denies access to

00:06:17.460that door hmm quite the catch

00:06:20.190so the player will hopefully realize

00:06:22.590they need to have Kiki be stood in this

00:06:24.780exact spot when the rule is triggered

00:06:27.180and they just need to figure out how to

00:06:29.250move the sentence from a far answer

00:06:32.190babba is move now the level would be way

00:06:35.190too easy if we could just put Babur here

00:06:37.470make babba

00:06:38.430is move and then walk to the right spot

00:06:40.650and wait for Babur to walk into the

00:06:42.540words so some restrictions are added

00:06:45.990this single hedge block means babba only

00:06:49.020has a tiny run up and having moved be in

00:06:51.720the corner makes it impossible to well

00:06:54.120move so the sentence babba

00:06:55.860is move has to be made on the furthest

00:06:58.290left edge of the screen these two things

00:07:00.900combined to make it impossible to make

00:07:02.910Babur is move and then walk to that

00:07:05.250all-important spot because Babur will

00:07:07.080have already made the read deadly by the

00:07:09.240time you get there and thus you must use

00:07:12.210these belts to create a much longer path

00:07:14.580for babba to take chu chu rocket style

00:07:16.860which will give you enough time to walk

00:07:18.780across the level before he triggers the

00:07:20.970sentence change then it's just a case of

00:07:23.130sprinkling on some pretty decoration and

00:07:25.440putting in some other bits to restrict

00:07:27.270your movement or stop unintended

00:07:29.220solutions though many of those are left

00:07:31.800in by the designer provided they don't

00:07:33.630make the real solution trivial

00:07:35.930[Music]

00:07:38.500so as you can see the solution to the

00:07:41.170puzzle is actually pretty simple but by

00:07:43.420obfuscating the answer behind a sequence

00:07:45.610of problems it creates this interesting

00:07:47.650phenomenon where takari is working

00:07:49.690backwards from the solution locking up

00:07:51.640doors behind him as he gets to the

00:07:53.230starting conditions for the puzzle and

00:07:54.700the player then moves in the opposite

00:07:56.830direction opening each door in turn

00:07:59.050until they get to the solution and by

00:08:01.600setting the stage up in this way the

00:08:03.790player is actually somewhat lured

00:08:05.530towards the solution each level contains

00:08:08.290a number of tiny problems that render

00:08:10.420something impossible forcing the player

00:08:12.250to find a different more creative way to

00:08:14.350overcome the problem

00:08:15.820these stumbling blocks then stack

00:08:17.770together creating a pathway to the level

00:08:20.590solution here's how that looks in a

00:08:22.780favorite stage of mine tiny pond in this

00:08:25.660level the word Wynn needs to be released

00:08:28.330from a pond the water is tagged as shut

00:08:31.360and Babur is tagged as open which means

00:08:34.270you can walk into the water to unlock it

00:08:36.219and gain access

00:08:37.120but this also destroys Babel so we're

00:08:40.300going to need to try something else

00:08:41.860we've got two other words key and flag

00:08:45.070so we could make key is open but there's

00:08:47.830no push verb meaning the key just sits

00:08:50.350there the only way to make a move is to

00:08:52.570write key is you but we run into the

00:08:54.790same problem you're destroyed as soon as

00:08:57.040you touch the water

00:08:58.770by now you should hopefully be thinking

00:09:01.360okay maybe I can be both keyed and Babur

00:09:04.870at the same time because when one dies I

00:09:07.450can still control the other one but

00:09:09.580sadly there aren't enough words to make

00:09:11.650that sentence work however the sequence

00:09:14.260of logical leaps have got you this far

00:09:16.150and there's only one possible way

00:09:17.770forward now if you make flag is key

00:09:20.470you've got two keys and now if you have

00:09:23.050key is you you can control both

00:09:25.320sacrifice one to open a hole in the

00:09:27.700water and use the remaining key to

00:09:29.830finish the stage

00:09:33.459it's really clever the setup for this

00:09:36.939stage walked us right into the central

00:09:39.189problem of the level we need to be open

00:09:41.410but we also don't want to disappear when

00:09:43.749we use ourselves and so we're in the

00:09:45.910perfect spot to try and figure out the

00:09:47.829actual solution and go aha when we get

00:09:50.949there if this was the first level that

00:09:54.040you played in the game you would be I

00:09:56.199think completely stumped but luckily

00:09:58.509playing babba

00:09:59.619is you means constantly adding to an

00:10:01.540ever expanding knowledge base that grows

00:10:03.579with every stage you play so tiny pond

00:10:06.699builds on the level jelly throne where

00:10:09.309you control two characters at once and

00:10:11.649tiny pond solution reappears in the

00:10:14.470stage unreachable shores where you

00:10:16.749sacrifice one key key so the survivor

00:10:19.059can move forward but this sort of

00:10:21.279learning starts from the very beginning

00:10:23.079of the game

00:10:23.709Babur is you is a pretty complicated

00:10:25.809puzzler after all and there's not a

00:10:27.639single tutorial in sight instead the

00:10:30.279game's first crop of puzzles all subtly

00:10:33.279and silently tell you how the game works

00:10:35.649through their solutions

00:10:37.240so in level 1 we're stuck inside a tiny

00:10:39.939box there's only one way to get out and

00:10:42.100that's to break the sentence wall is

00:10:44.110stop and make the wall no longer a solid

00:10:46.600object then we can make the sentence

00:10:49.059flag is win to finish the level that's

00:10:51.670breaking and making sentences the two

00:10:54.279most fundamental concepts of the game

00:10:56.319level two is the exact same stage as

00:10:58.839before but now everything is wrong you

00:11:01.660play as a wall the walls are made from

00:11:04.059flags and babba is nowhere to be found

00:11:05.889this teaches players that nothing in the

00:11:08.559game has an intrinsic value it's only

00:11:11.049given purpose when part of a rule the

00:11:13.689game keeps this up throughout its first

00:11:15.790few stages with solutions that clue us

00:11:18.040into some fundamental concept we'll

00:11:19.990definitely need to know later here lava

00:11:22.540is push overrides the rule lava is hot

00:11:25.509in this puzzle we learn that we can

00:11:27.970create two sentences from the same is

00:11:29.860block by creating them in a cross and

00:11:32.350the game will continue to teach new

00:11:34.509concepts and ideas throughout the

00:11:36.579adventure every time a new concept is

00:11:39.100introduced like the operator and/or the

00:11:41.709words open and shut

00:11:43.269we're treated to introductory puzzles

00:11:45.279that make these new mechanics

00:11:46.990crystal clear I asked Akari how he went

00:11:49.690about making these introductory stages

00:11:51.790and he said if I exhaustively go through

00:11:54.220all the meaningful interactions between

00:11:55.959elements eventually I get levels where

00:11:58.240the trick is mostly just the basic

00:12:00.310functionality of a specific element in

00:12:02.560itself that can then be put at the

00:12:04.720beginning of the world to act as a

00:12:06.640tutorial for the stages to come while

00:12:10.089Baba is you is full of puzzles that will

00:12:12.520make you feel stumped when you first

00:12:14.050play them and make you feel smart when

00:12:16.060you solve them take carries real goal is

00:12:18.459to create moments of surprise and

00:12:20.470laughter I was confining myself to the

00:12:32.260stupid little area and I didn't need to

00:12:34.810that's certainly one way to do it by

00:12:37.690playing with your expectations for how

00:12:39.670things work in this level for example

00:12:41.860most players will assume that they need

00:12:43.930to unlock the door but actually they

00:12:46.240need to unlock the wall there are also

00:12:48.820just bonkers rules that go way beyond

00:12:51.279the basic set up empty allows you to

00:12:54.010control or fill the empty space in each

00:12:56.320stage make lets you create a trail of

00:12:58.930objects when you move more lets you

00:13:01.240duplicate keys until they fill every

00:13:03.160spot in the space and just like the

00:13:05.350original idea for the game not allows

00:13:08.020you to flip rules on their head plus in

00:13:11.020an attempt to make sure every single

00:13:12.790interaction is explored a similar design

00:13:15.310philosophy as one used by braid

00:13:17.079developer Jonathan Blow takari has text

00:13:20.110via word allowing you to manipulate the

00:13:22.089rules with other rules and by the time

00:13:24.430level is introduced you're not only

00:13:26.680moving the entire screen around but

00:13:28.570breaking out of the stage and bouncing

00:13:30.790around the map screen in a mind-melting

00:13:32.470meta exploration of the game's

00:13:34.270fundamental logic there were more ideas

00:13:37.149that didn't make the cut of course

00:13:38.470takari told me that stick

00:13:40.149which will make objects clump together

00:13:41.470was removed because it created nightmare

00:13:43.930programming problems and safe which

00:13:46.480would render an object invulnerable was

00:13:48.520left on the cutting room floor because

00:13:50.260it was hazy and uninteresting not

00:13:52.870everything that made it into the game

00:13:54.399was a complete winner if you ask me a

00:13:56.470stage where you trap key key

00:13:58.240under words and then push them away from

00:14:00.189the corner is awkward and confusing and

00:14:02.470the word swap is like tele but not as

00:14:05.319cool with 200 odd stages though there's

00:14:08.230always going to be a few that don't

00:14:09.670click for everyone but take re points to

00:14:12.369an army of play testers who gave

00:14:14.079feedback on stages and discovered

00:14:16.059alternative solutions I'm extremely

00:14:17.829thankful for how much testers have done

00:14:20.110for the game he says that group of

00:14:21.819testers it turns out is a who's who of

00:14:23.920puzzle game Wizards and includes the

00:14:26.019designers behind ending a good snowman

00:14:28.689is hard to build pipe push Paradise star

00:14:31.660seed pilgrim minute and the witness baba

00:14:37.660is you is a surprising silly and

00:14:40.379mind-bogglingly complex game and it had

00:14:43.059every chance of becoming too difficult

00:14:45.160to grasp too esoteric to understand or

00:14:47.829to freeform to actually produce good

00:14:49.929puzzles the RV takari has proven himself

00:14:52.329as a master of puzzle design he

00:14:54.699introduces the loopy logic of Baba is

00:14:56.860you slowly and subtly so everyone can

00:14:59.649understand it with his reverse

00:15:01.449engineering process he buries a clever

00:15:03.699trick under layers of problems but the

00:15:06.160never red herrings or pointless busy

00:15:08.049work they're about leading the player to

00:15:09.910the catch at the center of the puzzle

00:15:11.709and he's more interested in surprises

00:15:13.869and silliness than rock-hard challenge

00:15:15.999making for a game that will make you

00:15:17.439laugh more than it will make you

00:15:19.360frustrated it's simply a really great

00:15:21.850puzzle game built on a fresh concept

00:15:23.799that was executed perfectly a no-brainer

00:15:26.529for this year's final video

00:15:29.360[Music]

00:15:30.670hey thank you so much for watching I

00:15:33.589just want to take a moment to say thank

00:15:34.790you for all of your support in 2019 I'm

00:15:37.550really proud of the stuff I made and

00:15:39.500your support has meant the world I've

00:15:42.170already got so many ideas lined up for

00:15:44.3002020 but it's time for a quick break so

00:15:47.089I hope you'll have an amazing Christmas

00:15:48.950and I'll see you in the new year