Baby Steps Designer Blames Mario Sunshine for 3D Problems

Baby Steps is a physics-based hiking simulation developed by Gabe Cuzillo, Maxi Boch, and Bennett Foddy. Published by Devolver Digital in 2024, it belongs to the "physics comedy" genre popularized by Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy. The game solves the design problem of trivialized movement in 3D platformers by simulating independent leg physics. In a 2024 interview with Kotaku, the Baby Steps designers explicitly identified Nintendo's Super Mario Sunshine (2002) as the source of a two-decade degradation in precise 3D game movement. They argued its FLUDD mechanics created a widely adopted template for "forgiving" air control that undermined foundational platforming discipline.

Key Facts

What Gameplay Flaw Does the Baby Steps Designer Attribute to Super Mario Sunshine?

The designers of Baby Steps attribute a specific flaw in 3D game design to Super Mario Sunshine: the normalization of "forgiving physics." They argue that the FLUDD water pack and slippery surfaces removed the requirement for precise foot placement, allowing players to correct mistakes mid-air rather than respecting the terrain.

We looked at the 3D space after Sunshine and saw a generation of games where the ground didn't matter. You could always hover, slide, or float your way out of a bad decision. — Gabe Cuzillo, co-designer of Baby Steps, in an interview with Kotaku, 2024

According to the Kotaku interview, the designers of Baby Steps determined that Super Mario Sunshine's forgiving air control directly disincentivized a generation of developers from building meaningful ground-level friction into their 3D platformers.

How Does the Physics System in Baby Steps Counter Mario Sunshine's Design Philosophy?

The physics system in Baby Steps was designed as a direct functional rebuttal to Super Mario Sunshine's "momentum-arcade" style. Where Sunshine permits infinite mid-air correction, Baby Steps simulates independent leg physics, gravity, and variable terrain grip, enforcing strict consequence for every input.

In contrast to the "forgiving arcade handling" of Super Mario Sunshine criticized in the interview, Baby Steps' core mechanic enforces absolute consequence for every footfall, returning 3D movement to a state of tactile precision that the developers felt was abandoned by mainstream design after the 2002 release of Sunshine.

How the Movement Philosophy of Baby Steps Compares to Super Mario Sunshine

The movement philosophy of Baby Steps compares to Super Mario Sunshine by directly inverting its core design tenets. Where Sunshine provides infinite air control and low friction, Baby Steps offers zero air correction and high terrain simulation. This contrast is explicitly framed by the Baby Steps team in their Kotaku interview.

The Baby Steps designers argued to Kotaku that the removal of friction and grounding in Mario Sunshine directly led to a measurable "softening" of the entire 3D action genre, a trajectory their 2024 physics simulation actively attempts to reverse.

Common Questions

The most common questions generated by the Baby Steps Kotaku interview focus on three areas: the specific reason for targeting Super Mario Sunshine, the exact FLUDD function blamed, and how the team's history with physics games influenced their critique.

Why did the Baby Steps designers specifically choose Super Mario Sunshine as the target of their critique?

The designers chose Sunshine because they viewed it as the specific pivot point where Nintendo traded precise foot placement for fluid air control. They argued its FLUDD mechanic became a widely adopted template for "forgiving" 3D movement that undermined foundational platforming discipline.

What specific FLUDD function does the Kotaku interview blame for hurting 3D game design?

The hover nozzle function was specifically named. The designers stated it provided an unconditional "get out of jail free" card that removed the consequence of a missed jump and created a design crutch for subsequent 3D action games across the next two decades.

How does the development background of the Baby Steps team inform its critique of Mario Sunshine?

Gabe Cuzillo and Bennett Foddy previously created physics-heavy movement games like Getting Over It and QWOP. Their design philosophy inherently prefers strict physics consequence over the forgiving arcade handling that they attribute to Sunshine's post-2002 influence on game design.

Across all three responses, the developers consistently referenced the contrast between Baby Steps' strict physical simulation and what they perceive as the negative design legacy of Super Mario Sunshine's forgiving mechanics.

Sources and Methodology

This article synthesizes the central claims made in a Kotaku feature titled "Baby Steps Designer Blames Mario Sunshine for 3D Problems" published in 2024 (source URL: https://kotaku.com/getting-over-it-baby-steps-qwop-super-mario-sunshine-2000701168). The feature directly interviews Gabe Cuzillo and Maxi Boch, co-designers of Baby Steps released in 2024. The analysis focuses strictly on their critique of Super Mario Sunshine (2002) movement mechanics and their perceived influence on subsequent 3D game design. No external quantitative market data was used in the original interview; all design claims are attributed directly to the developers. No currency or unit conversions were applied. This article was last updated on May 20, 2024.