Exploring BABBDI was a strange, but amazing experience. It’s become one of my new all time favorite indie games. BABBDI is a massive city, seemingly empty with only a few people hanging around. The game is another perfect example of my favorite style of mystery.
The game asks many questions, leaving the players with a fun and unsolvable mystery. What exactly is this place? Why and how did we get here? Why is it abandoned, and so hard to leave? There’s countless others to think of, which is my favorite type of mystery, those that can’t be explained. You can think of limitless explanations on your own, and come to the most logical answers yourself.
The lack of people in the city makes it special to come across the characters that are still there. Many seem content actually, and accept the situation. Others not so much, mainly the first girl we meet who dies because she was either sick or something unknown about the city killed her. Whether it be everyone can only live so long here, or it was too horrible for her somehow. Though many of them want to leave, only a ticket can get you out. The travel agent no longer offers them however.
To get around, you’re going to have to do some climbing. The platforming was pretty satisfying, not too difficult, but some falls can set you back a bit. Make sure to try out the many objects laying around! It’s not clear at first what to do with them, but they’re all climb assisting tools. The bats, and clubs bump you backward/upward. You can climb up easier with the pick-axe. Then the vacuum blower and the makeshift helicopter are the very best items to get around with.
BABBDI – Peak Surreal Gaming Aesthetics
Fans of urban exploration would love BABBDI as well. The abandoned concrete towers, and massive stretches of nothingness with a subtle creepy look. At every moment of the game, something feels off, but there’s no perfect way to describe it.
I’m not sure if I can describe it exactly as horror, but it certainly is creepy to an extent. The atmosphere is perfect, and though the city is abandoned, it’s kind of beautiful. Everything is silent, except for the random ambient noises, the wind, and the birds. The skies are cloudy, but beams of light shine down on the city, making it look almost like heaven from far away. Though it feels more like a purgatory. It’s a comforting and constant surreal feeling, being lonely but also peaceful.
Collecting the secrets and achievements was super fun to do! There’s so many weird objects and it was neat to see what I would find next. I never thought I’d have so much fun collecting cigarette boxes. The achievements are all worth doing too, I’d recommend trying them all and collected all secrets for the full BABBDI experience. One more secret to mention, you can reach the boat outside of the boundry! Check for the bird hanging around one of the openings. It’s got some neat AI art on the side.
This is one of the best indie games of 2022/2023, you definitely have to check it out! Another game I would recommend if you enjoyed this is Nightslink! It’s another horror game filled with mysteries and questions with no direct answer.
