For some reason I just kind of feel like doing this. Some folks are finishing clearing the game out, meanwhile there's been quite a few posts from people struggling and having issues grasping some of the game's core concepts and getting into the mindset of "how" to think about the game and its puzzles. So while I was bored somewhat free at work today I decided to write down some tips about certain mental hangups and approaches. I don't plan on spoiling any puzzle solutions so this is all speaking in pretty general terms but if you really want to discover everything for yourself, I'd probably recommend just tackling things without any nudging at all. It's fun, so long as you have the patience for it.
That said, this is just some general observations I've had about the game, which I've split into two-ish greater categories: basic strategic tips, and process suggestions.
The Basics
I'm talking like, the absolute rudimentary basics to start out with. Everything you encounter in the game can be divided into one of two things: objects, and text. Anything that is not text is an object. Whether it's Baba, a wall, some water, a key, a piece of grass or brick patterning, any of it.
The main thing that sets this game apart, clearly, is text. Aside from considering it separate from objects, text blocks can be further broken up into three categories (these are just the terms I'm using for the sake of this post, nothing official):
- Names
- Modifiers
- Traits
Names are a block of text containing the description of an accompanying object (i.e. the actual word "BABA," denoting the little white rabbit-sheep-thing). Modifiers are a word generally used to convey some sort of relationship between two other text blocks (either a name to another name, or a name to a trait). Traits are the colored squares with text inside that confer some sort of quality to an object (most typically through an "is" modifier). A rule is formed when text blocks are pushed together to form a relationship between names or names and traits. At least as far as I am in the game, you need at least three text blocks to form a rule, most usually in [name x modifier x name] or [name x modifier x trait] format.
With those terms established, the overall goal is to clear each level by making an object with the "you" trait ascribed to it occupy the same space as an object with the "win" trait. Simple enough. Sort of. If you're still with it so far, time for some of the basic tips that pertain to general game operation.
1. Think of objects in abstract
One of the things the game tries to make a point of teaching early on is that objects in the game are only given any meaning through rules explicitly formed on the play-field that bestow qualities onto them. To that end, each object on its own is simply a sprite, no more, no less. Try to think of them all in equal terms without necessarily applying real-world logic to them. Keys aren't the only thing that can open doors. You start most levels playing as Baba, but despite the game's title, do not get stuck into thinking that Baba is "You." On that note, it's also worth remembering that "You" in this game is a trait, not an object. Also bear in mind that if there's an object on the field that doesn't have an accompanying name-block somewhere, it is essentially functionless and there only for background's sake (with rare exception).
2. Consider traits in game logic terms, not real-world terms
This is somewhat the "trait" version of the first tip, but sometimes I think one of the biggest hangups encountered with people struggling, especially early on in the game, is too much of a reliance on taking a trait at face-value and making assumptions about it, either from being conditioned to it from previous levels or by applying real-world logic where it might not be accurate. Every trait, described by a word, is really just a function of game-logic that describes a particular quality of an object or impacts the way one object will interact with others. When experimenting with a new trait, be thorough in examining what exactly a trait does or doesn't do. No traits have the exact same function, and some are designed specifically to interact with other traits (such as "hot" and "melt")
3. Think in crossword terms
Scrabble works too, if you're more familiar with that. Text blocks will only form rules when created in a full, unbroken line, reading from left-to-right or up-to-down. However, blocks can also be shared between multiple rules, so long as proper in-game syntax is still being followed. This is particularly helpful when trying to give several names the same trait, giving a name several traits, or sharing a modifier to create multiple rules using fewer blocks than if you just made each rule independently.
4. Text is an object, too
Okay, so this technically contradicts a bit of my earlier categorization about separating objects and text, but the way text is even manipulable in the first place is because the game treats blocks of text themselves as objects. This means that they follow all the same rules that other objects do. Also, "text is push" is perhaps the one rule in the game that is always inferred to be active without being visible on the field.
And now, my process tips. These are basically a rough outline of the steps that I tend to take when approaching levels. Nothing too earth-shattering but maybe hearing it in different terms might help to jump start someone through a tough spot, so here goes.
5. Identify everything
Pretty self-explanatory. What objects are on the field? More importantly, what text is there? Are there any new text blocks that you've never encountered before? Is this a puzzle that's going to require the use of multiple moving parts? How expansive are the potential rule combinations?
6. What is or is not negotiable?
What I mean by this is, related to the "identification" step from the last tip, take a look at where all the currently-active rules on the field are located (you can even pause the game and it will show you a full list of every active rule on the field). In many levels there are some rules that cannot be broken (such as things shoved against the level border, or are surrounded by a bunch of "stop" objects, usually including whatever the "stop" object itself is to make sure you can't just break around that). It's important to note the things that absolutely cannot be changed, and just as important to mark down what can, since those are the things you'll have to be changing around in order to actually clear the level.
7. Work from both sides
I'm throwing this into one tip even though it's a suggestion to do two things kind of simultaneously. It's easy to look at some levels and feel a little overwhelmed, so I find that breaking things into smaller steps helps. Identify where whatever is "You" is starting and look at what objects and text you have immediate access to. What rules can you possibly change right off the bat? Setting that aside, check and see if your win condition is something that's pre-established or not. Working backwards is a really powerful logical tool in a lot of levels. What is the nearest impediment to the win condition, if what "Win" is is non-negotiable? What exactly makes it an impediment and what rules on the field can get around that? If you can work out a step or two from the beginning, and a step or two from the end and visualize both, it becomes easier to form that bridge in the middle and plan out some moves before you have to make them.
8. Take stock of your resources
This might sound at first like tip 5, but I mean this more from a numbers standpoint really. Sometimes the biggest hurdle is just simply not thinking that you have enough stuff to manipulate, for various reasons. This is especially true of levels that require things to be destroyed or moved into inoperable locations. Keep in mind how many things you can potentially move around. Is there a rule on the field that might let you control more things, or create more things, or prevent you from losing something? This is especially one of those times to remember rule 4: sometimes, you might have more to work with than you really think you do, and you don't always have to use literally everything in order to clear a level.
9. If you feel stuck, wipe your slate clean
This is something that's been discussed in various levels of detail throughout the thread already but worth bringing up again. The real largest enemy that needs overcoming sometimes is your own preconceptions, whether about the objects or rules in the game and how they operate, or even how you think a level is supposed to be solved. Sometimes when a roadblock is reached, it's because attempts to solve it have seemingly made progress, but oftentimes, without knowing whether that progress is actually leading in the right direction until the puzzle is near-solved, it can be easy to fall into the trap of taking certain early steps or strategies as granted when they aren't actually part of the solution at all. For that reason it's sometimes best to clear a puzzle from your mind, either by taking a break from the game for a while and "forgetting" the process you were already taking, or by moving around to different levels so that your mind is forced to switch gears to a new problem. I mentioned it myself a couple of days ago that I agonized over one level for a couple of days without moving along, only to find once I finally solved it that a few early levels in another area presented a similar concept in a much faster-to-grasp context that could have easily transferred back over, and I was kind of kicking myself for some of the time lost.
That's a somewhat-condensed version of what I've got for now. Hopefully it might be of use to someone struggling to grasp this game's particular mindset. Happy solving!