Baba, a sheep-like creature and indie lover’s star 2019 baba is you, could not read or write. This was a problem because, as it turned out, Baba needed to do some important paperwork! In the game turned into a joke, Baba declares taxes, you are tasked with helping the armless creature file its taxes. The short game is an exercise in confusion and really the best way to prepare yourself for the absurdity of the upcoming 2023 tax season.
The game is now available to play for free on Windows PCs. It was created by Hempuli, the original developer behind mind pushing puzzle game baba is you. You don’t need anything special to play it other than a functional mouse and can get it done in about 10 minutes (if you take the time).
As it turned out, Baba was a bit delayed because Baba waited to submit his application until the deadline later that night. Before we begin, we have to make a “very important decision” for Baba: We must choose the ink color to use to fill out the forms. I used a rainbow colored pen, which I’m sure some fictional government officials would love.
As you play, you assume Baba’s legal “respondent” role and fill out a form that looks like it was created in MS Paint. This form has lots of fancy and funny legal words like “from here” and lists of useless definitions of words like “Thing” and “Stuff”. The stakes of the game are high because as we have read, “Any inaccuracies in the submitted form B-48A are grounds for legal action against Responders.” When you’re done, you basically play the game by filling out a form and signing Baba’s name on it over and over again.
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Image: Hempuli
I won’t betray the central idea of the game — it’s something you’ll have to experience for yourself. But it’s a cute and quick play for those who want to laugh about the absurdity and meaningless nature of modern bureaucracy.
The game reminds me of other indie and beloved games, alike frog fraction. It’s a bigger game hidden inside a seemingly innocuous math game aimed at children. frog fraction There’s an entire section where you actually help your frog get through the error court and get a work visa by answering a series of extremely arbitrary questions. Baba declares taxes similar to the clown about the absurdity of these systems with humorous tone and gameplay.
Baba declares taxes commentary on an almost global struggle. Tax returns are one of the most frequent and unending puzzles of modern life. Every year, we sit down together to look down at a stack of papers and ask ourselves the age-old question: If the U.S. government knows how much we owe, why do we need to figure it out ourselves? It’s a game anyway, and now you can play it with Baba.
