History VideoGame / BabaIsYou

''Baba is You'' is a 2019 BlockPuzzle game by Arvi Teikari (from Hempuli Oy, the maker of ''VideoGame/EnvironmentalStationAlpha''), based on a prototype originally made for Nordic Game Jam 2017. However, this game is not an ordinary block puzzler; the twist is that the rules are physically present in the game as blocks that can be pushed around to form new rules. Hence, you can (among other things) transform water into lava, walk over walls that were previously impassable, and even change the player character and goal of the level!

!! "Tropes is Read":

* ArmlessBiped: Keke and Me; the former is orange and has no mouth, while the latter has a mouth but is purple.

* DroneOfDread: Altering the "X Is You" in any level such that you can no longer control any object in a level stops the music and plays this instead.

* PressXToDie: Assembling any "Text is [Noun]" rule will turn all the text into something else -- without its {{Cosmic Keystone}}s, the level will be completely inert.

''"[[TheStinger Stinger]] is Win"''

* SuperDrowningSkills: Anything that is "You" touching anything that is "Sink" will instantly vanish with a 'sploosh' sound. This will also take the 'liquid' with it, which is occasionally necessary to solve a puzzle.

* PlayerCharacter: Anything that is "You" can be controlled by the player. This makes that keyword the most vital one in the game--if nothing is defined as "You" at any point, the level becomes unplayable [[spoiler:unless you set it up so that a "Move" object returns control to you by restoring an "X is You" rule. Some levels outright require that level of forethought]].

* UnwinnableByDesign: Polite: In addition to the usual traps of block puzzle games, you can also break apart an "X is You" rule, losing control over the object that was "You" in the process. If that was the only such object, [[DroneOfDread the music stops]] to let you know the level is broken, and eventually [[PlayerNudge remind you]] that you'll need to undo/restart. [[spoiler:Though, if "Move" was set up to fix things...]]

* UnwinnableByDesign: Polite: In addition to the usual traps of block puzzle games, you can also break apart an "X is You" rule, losing control over the object that was "You" in the process. If that was the only such object, [[DroneOfDread the music stops]] to let you know the level is broken, and eventually remind you that you'll need to undo/restart. [[spoiler:Unless "Move" was set up to fix things.]]

* PlayerCharacter: Anything that is "You" can be controlled by the player. This makes that keyword the most vital one in the game--if nothing is defined as "You" at any point, the level becomes unplayable [[spoiler:unless you set it up so that any "Move" objects return control to you by restoring any "X is You" rule. Some levels outright require that level of forethought]].

* RosesAreRedVioletsAreBlue: One of the levels in the Solitary Island is based on this stock poem (see the quote at the top of page).

* UnwinnableByDesign: Polite: In addition to the usual traps of block puzzle games you can also break apart an "X is You" rule, losing control over the object that was "You" in the process. If that was the only such object, the music stops to let you know the level is broken and you'll need to undo/restart.

* InterfaceScrew: Level [[spoiler:Overworld]]-8, thanks to the rule [[spoiler:"Level is Move"]].

* DroneOfDread: Altering the "X Is You" in any level such that you can longer control any object in a level stops the music and plays this instead.

* PlayerCharacter: Anything that is "You" can be controlled by the player. This makes that keyword the most vital one in the game--if nothing is defined as "You" at any point, the level becomes unplayable.

* InsurmountableWaistHighFence: Anything that is "Stop", even things you wouldn't normally expect like "Grass" or "Empty".

* RewritingReality: The other main theme of the game. The rules exist in-game as basic sentences that define the behaviors of certain objects (e.g. "Wall is Stop" or "Rock is Push"). Altering the sentences will alter those rules (hence, you could push away the "Stop" from "Wall is Stop" to walk through walls). That said, there are certain rules to make things interesting:

* MesACrowd: Anything that is "More" will self-multiply until either there's no more room or that property is taken away. Naturally, this can include player objects.

* InstantKO: Anything that is either "Defeat" or "Sink" will adhere to this trope in different ways. "Defeat" objects only affect things that are "You" (i.e. player-controlled objects), while "Sink" objects can destroy anything at their own expense. Objects that are "Melt" are also destroyed by anything that is "Hot".

* LevelEditor: There is one currently in development for the full game. The prototype also has one, accessible by hitting either the '~', '|' or '\' key.

''Baba is You'' is a 2019 BlockPuzzle game by Hempuli Oy (the maker of ''VideoGame/EnvironmentalStationAlpha''), based on a prototype originally made for Nordic Game Jam 2017. However, this game is not an ordinary block puzzler; the twist is that the rules are physically present in the game as blocks that can be pushed around to form new rules. Hence, you can (among other things) transform water into lava, walk over walls that were previously impassable, and even change the player character and goal of the level!

''Baba is You'' is a 2019 BlockPuzzle game by Hempuli Oy (the maker of ''VideoGame/EnvironmentalStationAlpha''), based on a prototype originally made for Nordic Game Jam 2017. However, this game is not any ordinary block puzzler; the twist is that the rules are physically present in the game as blocks that can be pushed around to form new rules. Hence, you can (among other things) transform water into lava, walk over walls that were previously impassable, and even change the player character and goal of the level!

!! "Tropes is You":

** Tautological rules override transformative rules (e.g. if there is a rule saying "Box is Box", any rule saying "Box is [Anything Else]" will do nothing).

** Longer rules override shorter ones (hence, "Wall is NOT You" overrides "Wall is You"); and

* LevelGoal: Anything that is ''Win'' will serve as this. Some puzzles revolve around assembling a rule using that keyword in order to beat the level.

** The rules must read like complete sentences of the form "[Object] [Connector] [Keyword]" (at minimum);
** Longer rules override shorter ones (hence, "Wall is NOT You" overrides "Wall is You");

* RewritingReality: The other main theme of the game. The rules exist in-game as basic sentences that define the behaviors of certain objects (e.g. "Wall is Stop" or "Rock is Push"). Altering the sentences will alter those rules (hence, you could push away the "Stop" from "Wall is Stop" to walk through walls).

* OneHitPointWonder: Anything that is "Weak" will be destroyed by anything it touches, even if they're not InstantKO objects.

! "Tropes is You":

''Baba is You'' is a 2019 BlockPuzzle game by Hempuli (the maker of ''VideoGame/EnvironmentalStationAlpha''), based on a prototype originally made for Nordic Game Jam 2017. However, this game is not any ordinary block puzzler; the twist is that the rules are physically present in the game as blocks that can be pushed around to form new rules. Hence, you can (among other things) transform water into lava, walk over walls that were previously impassable, and even change the player character and goal of the level!