Complete absurdity: a selection of games with crazy concepts and physics

Recently, well-known wits from the world of game developer Devolver Digital, together with independent developer Benett Foddy, released Baby steps, a "walking simulator". The adventures of lazy Nate, who literally got up and went to change his life, have already received a lot of positive feedback from critics and players. The main and only mechanics of Baby steps is walking. The player controls the physiology of Nate's gait, cheerfully walking through picturesque landscapes and overcoming hills and mountains. Baby steps, with its absurd humor and clumsy hero staggers, is not the only game of its kind. Izvestia has compiled a selection of games in which simple actions become a challenge and a crazy adventure, and the gameplay can both infuriate and incredibly amuse at the same time.

Getting Over It

Developer: Bennett Foddy

What to play on: PC, macOS, iOS, Android

Photo: Bennett Foddy

This is a previous project by the creator of Baby steps, which immediately shows where the legs grow from. This is a game about patience, perseverance and comical falls. The player controls a man stuck in a cauldron. The only tool is a hammer. With it, you need to climb up and overcome obstacles, clinging to the surface in various ways. Any movement can end up falling down, so the whole focus is on the right rhythm. There are no hints: each game session turns into a series of trial and error, while you try to climb higher over and over again.

QWOP

Developer: Bennett Foddy

What to play on: PC, iOS, Android

Photo: Bennett Foddy

Another brainchild of Foddy, this Baby steps game has gameplay in common: you need to control the runner's body using four keys on the keyboard. Each is responsible for a separate part of the athlete's legs, so moving forward is much more difficult than it seems. Separately, it is necessary to control the hips and shins, which is why the runner often falls before gaining at least some speed. Moving forward on the track depends on the correct rhythm of pressing the keys, but even a small hitch leads to a fall.

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I Am Bread

Developer: Bossa Studios

What to play on: PC, macOS, iOS, PlayStation 4

Photo: Bossa Studios

The games allow you to become anyone: an elf, a biker, a soldier of fortune, an alien. I Am Bread offers, perhaps, one of the strangest roles: to try on the image of a piece of bread that dreams of becoming toast. The player controls it by clinging to the bread edges and moving over furniture, walls and objects in the house. The challenge is to move on surfaces, avoiding everything that reduces the "edibility": dirt, sharp objects. The main thing here is not speed, but the search for the optimal way to the toaster. Each level has new room layouts that make you think carefully about every move.

Heave Ho

Developer: Le Cartel Studio

What to play on: PC, Nintendo Switch

Photo: Le Cartel Studio

In the co—op Heave Ho, the players are small rounded characters with long arms. The goal is to get over the precipices and not fall down, clinging to walls or teammates. As a result, the players turn into a bunch, interfere with each other and still fall into the abyss with their comrades. This makes winning the round extremely difficult, but the game process itself is hilariously funny.

Totally Reliable Delivery Service

Developer: We're Five Games

What to play on: PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android

Photo: We're Five Games

In Totally Reliable Delivery Service, you will have to play as a courier who delivers parcels from point A to point B. But this is far from Death Stranding. The controls are specially made "crooked", so it is very difficult to lift, carry or load something. Cars and airplanes can be used to transport cargo, but it's also not easy to drive them. Each delivery becomes an unpredictable challenge, and the result is rarely perfect and can claim tips and a five-star rating.

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Human: Fall Flat

Developer: No Brakes Games

What to play on: PC, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android

Photo: No Brakes Games

A puzzle with simple graphics, the main character of which is named Bob. With the help of this clumsy dummy, you will have to solve puzzles in surreal locations using objects around you and "broken" physics. Bob can grab objects, climb platforms, or push objects, but the world around him behaves strangely. Thanks to the awkward physics, even simple tasks turn into comedy sketches. You have to sweat a lot, thinking and making mistakes, because the game doesn't give you any hints.

Surgeon Simulator

Developer: Bossa Studios

What to play on: PC, macOS, iOS, Android, PlayStation 4

Photo: Bossa Studios

To try yourself in the field of surgery without medical education? Easy! Who needs nine years in college when there's a Surgeon Simulator? However, the gameplay is appropriate: the medical player has clumsy, stiff hands that need to be manipulated with tools. At first glance, the operations look simple, but everything always goes wrong.: instruments slip out, organs shift and fall to the floor, and surgical precision should be forgotten. Nevertheless, it is possible to carry out the operation successfully, but you will have to get better and practice.

Octodad: Dadliest Catch

Developer: Young Horses

What to play on: PC, macOS, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android

Photo: Young Horses

In Octodad: Dadliest Catch, the player becomes an octopus. At the same time, he remains an exemplary family man, husband and father, leads an ordinary life and everyone around him perceives him as a human being. Camouflage is not easy: you have to cope with household chores, family responsibilities and work tasks, trying to look normal and not attract attention with your eight tentacles. The awkward physics of the game turn everyday affairs into comical disasters, and the simplest actions turn into complete chaos.

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Manual Samuel

Developer: Perfectly Paranormal

What to play on: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch

Photo: Perfectly Paranormal

Manual Samuel tells the story of a man who needs to live one day in complete control of his every action. It sounds mundane, but you have to do it manually. The player controls Sam's body and monitors the basic functions: breathing, blinking, and balancing. He forgot to breathe or blink, and Sam starts to choke and stumble. Simple actions like brushing teeth turn into the most difficult tasks when each part of the body has to be controlled separately. In addition, it is important to keep the timing so that the hero continues to move.