Toddler Terror: Exploring "Baby Blues Nightmares"

I’ll admit it—I was drawn to the free prologue of Baby Blues Nightmares for the sheer absurdity of “utilizing the unique abilities of a toddler” in a horror game. Stealth gameplay, survival elements, and upgradeable abilities? It’s like a toddler is the new special forces operative in a Tom Clancy game, rather than a tiny whirlwind of tears and chaos. Then again, maybe Sam Fisher started out this way—escaping a house filled with demon toys might be the perfect origin story.

Thankfully, Baby Blues Nightmares doesn’t take itself too seriously. When it mentions “upgradeable abilities,” it’s talking about customizing your toy tricycle, which you’ll use to ferry around smaller, non-possessed toys. And the “survival elements” involve soothing your nerves with collectible chocolate bars to avoid a crying fit that could alert lurking monsters. It’s not exactly hardcore survival horror, but it adds a whimsical touch that’s more charming than terrifying.

The game’s real charm lies in its sense of scale and the way it transforms a mundane environment into a grotesque playground. Tables become fortresses, and stools are your stepping stones. The world feels gigantic and menacing, making every crawl space a potential hiding spot and every toy a potential trap.

Baby Blues Nightmares isn’t breaking new ground here—Among The Sleep and Little Nightmares have already taken us through similarly oversized worlds. But it does bring some unique ideas to the table, like the ability to draw on walls with crayons. This isn’t just a cute feature; it’s practical. The game’s semi-open world design encourages you to mark doors and walls to help solve puzzles and navigate the house. Plus, it gives you the opportunity to live out the dream of becoming a horror game NPC, leaving creepy graffiti and helpful notes for future adventurers.

There’s a playful spirit throughout Baby Blues Nightmares. You can mess around with the toys, bouncing rubber balls off the TV as it ominously broadcasts backstory, or create a tea party for terrifying, scissor-toothed teddy bears. This whimsy is where the game shines, and I hope it continues to prioritize these moments over the more standard stealth gameplay, which can feel a bit routine. The monsters, while creepy, don’t stand out from what we’ve seen in countless horror games, and the stealth mechanics—hiding from creatures and waiting for them to move on—feel all too familiar.

But let’s be real: the toddler might be the scariest thing in the game. From the moment you learn that this little terror prefers scary dolls over the normal kind, it’s clear that this kid is a force to be reckoned with. I mean, what kind of two-year-old knows how to pimp out their tricycle? There’s something inherently unsettling about that.

One missed opportunity is the absence of adults in the game. Horror stories thrive on the dynamic between children and their parents, especially when those kids start drawing creepy pictures or talking to invisible friends. Imagine the terror of handing over a doodle of Sam Fisher doing the splits over the kitchen door to your unsuspecting mom and dad. Now that would be a horror story.

Baby Blues Nightmares launches its full version on September 16th, but you can check out the prologue now. It’s the latest creation from Steelkrill Studio, a solo developer with a knack for twisting horror tropes in unexpected ways. If you’re in the mood for something a little different, or if you just want to see what a toddler can do when faced with demonic toys, give it a try.