Baldi's Basics in Education and Learning#Development and release

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}{{Infobox video game

| image = Baldi's Basics in Education and Learning.svg

| developer = Micah McGonigal{{efn|Known online as "mystman12" and "Basically, Games!"}}

| publisher = Basically, Games!

| engine = Unity

| platforms = Windows
macOS
Linux
Android
iOS

| released = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|March 31, 2018}}|

Windows, macOS, Linux{{vgrelease|WW|March 31, 2018}}Android, iOS{{vgrelease|WW|December 17, 2019}}Baldi's Basics Classic Remastered
Windows, macOS, Linux{{vgrelease|WW|October 21, 2022}}}}

| genre = {{hlist|Horror|puzzle|educational}}

| modes = Single-player

}}

Baldi's Basics in Education and Learning, retrospectively known as Baldi's Basics Classic, is a 2018 horror game developed and published by Micah McGonigal. Disguised as an educational game, Baldi's Basics is set in a schoolhouse, where the objective is to locate notebooks and avoid being caught by Baldi or other NPCs. The game became popular for its difficulty, nostalgic gameplay and graphics and elements of surreal humour and simplicity. It parodies 1990s educational games by deconstructing their elements into metafictional horror.

Gameplay

File:ClassicRemastered1.png

Baldi's Basics in Education and Learning intentionally misleads first-time players into thinking it is a children's educational video game, with its main screen resembling a children's educational video game. Baldi's Basics follows a student who enters a schoolhouse. There are two modes available, Story Mode and Endless Mode. In Story Mode, the player has to locate seven notebooks scattered around a schoolhouse without being caught by Baldi. The first notebook will be three simple arithmetic problems. However, the following notebooks contain only two simple arithmetic problems, and an unsolvable problem that must be failed to progress the game. As the player continues to fail the impossible problems, Baldi moves faster and becomes harder to avoid. Additionally, the player has to face six non-player characters: It's a Bully, Principal of the Thing, Playtime, Gotta Sweep, 1st Prize and Arts and Crafters. After collecting all notebooks, the player then has to locate all four exits to complete the game.{{cite news |last=Jackson |first=Gita |date=April 12, 2018 |title=A Free Game That Makes Math More Scary |language=en-US |work=Kotaku |url=https://kotaku.com/a-free-game-that-makes-math-scary-1825220750 |url-status=live |access-date=April 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012054112/https://kotaku.com/a-free-game-that-makes-math-scary-1825220750 |archive-date=October 12, 2022}}

If the player gets all of the math problems wrong, a secret ending will be triggered in which they meet with a character named NULL, who warns that the game must be "destroyed". NULL is also heard after the player collects all notebooks, screaming "get out while you still can" over Baldi's voice.

In Baldi's Basics Plus, there is more content, including characters such as Cloudy Copter,{{efn|Originally introduced in Baldi's Basics – Field Trip demo: Camping}} Chalkles, Beans, Mrs. Pomp, The Test, Dr. Reflex, Johnny, other unnamed students, multiple procedurally generated floors, a Challenge Mode, Field Trips, and more.{{Cite web |last=Kurosawa |first=Yuki |date=2020-06-13 |title=サイコ90年代教育ゲーム風ホラー『Baldi's Basics Plus』Steamなどで早期アクセス配信開始。インターネット老人会を恐怖させるローポリ教師との鬼ごっこ |trans-title=Psycho 90's educational game-style horror "Baldi's Basics Plus" Early access distribution started on Steam etc. A game of tag with a low-poly teacher who terrifies the Internet Senior Citizens Association |url=https://automaton-media.com/articles/newsjp/20200613-127215/ |access-date=2023-09-04 |website=Automaton |publisher=Active Gaming Media |language=ja}}

Development and release

Baldi's Basics was created by Micah McGonigal, and it was initially made as an entry in the 2018 Meta-GameJam on Itch.io,{{Cite web |last=Faribeault |first=Francois |date=2022-10-13 |title=Baldi's Basics in Education and Learning, le jeu qui mélange éducation et horreur |trans-title=Baldi's Basics in Education and Learning, the game that mixes education and horror |url=https://www.konbini.com/techno/baldis-basics-in-education-and-learning-le-jeu-qui-melange-education-et-horreur/ |access-date=2023-09-04 |website=Konbini |language=fr}}{{cite book |last=Zarzycka |first=Agata |editor-last1=Giappone |editor-first1=Krista Bonello Rutter |editor-last2=Majkowski |editor-first2=Tomasz Z. |editor-last3=Švelch |editor-first3=Jaroslav |title=Video Games and Comedy |chapter=Ridiculing the Player: Live-Action Visualisations of Game Experience in YouTube Parody Videos as an Ambivalent Strategy of Self-Fashioning |series=Palgrave Studies in Comedy |date=2022 |pages=226–230 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-88338-6_11 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|isbn=978-3-030-88337-9 }} where it placed in second. In an interview with Game Developer, McGonigal cited the 1996 game Sonic's Schoolhouse as his main inspiration.{{cite news |last=Couture |first=Joel |title=How Baldie's Basics taps into the real horror of '90s edutainment |url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/324042/How_Baldis_Basics_taps_into_the_real_horror_of_90s_edutainment.php |date=August 13, 2018 |website=Gamasutra |access-date=April 6, 2021 |archive-date=May 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190503073544/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/324042/How_Baldis_Basics_taps_into_the_real_horror_of_90s_edutainment.php |url-status=dead}} The game used the concept of using video games and other entertainment mediums of education for kids.{{Cite book |last=Bycer |first=Joshua |title=Game Design Deep Dive: Horror |date=September 20, 2019 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=9781000451016 |page=85}}

McGonigal launched a Kickstarter campaign, where he announced that a "full game," titled Baldi's Basics Plus, would be released in early 2020 as an early access title.{{cite news |last=Bald |first=Cameron |date=December 23, 2019 |title=Baldi's Basics Classic, a mobile version of the game, creeps onto Android and iOS |website=Pocket Gamer |url=https://www.pocketgamer.com/articles/081813/baldis-basics-classic-a-mobile-version-of-the-cult-horror-game-creeps-onto-android-and-ios/ |url-status=live |access-date=April 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005115213/https://www.pocketgamer.com/articles/081813/baldis-basics-classic-a-mobile-version-of-the-cult-horror-game-creeps-onto-android-and-ios/ |archive-date=October 5, 2021}} In late 2019, the original game was ported to iOS and Android under the title Baldi's Basics Classic.{{Cite web |last=Andre |date=2019-12-30 |title=Basically Games veröffentlicht Baldi's Basics Classic |trans-title=Basically Games publishes Baldi's Basics Classic |url=https://www.pixel-magazin.de/basically-games-veroeffentlicht-baldis-basics-classic/ |access-date=2023-09-04 |website=Pixel |language=de-DE}}

Reception and legacy

= Cultural impact =

The game became an online success for its absurdist humor, difficulty, and nostalgic gameplay. Several YouTubers such as DanTDM, Markiplier, jacksepticeye, PewDiePie and CoryxKenshin have made videos on the game, which have gained popularity on YouTube.{{cite news |last=Nguyen |first=Keoni |date=June 25, 2018 |title=A Fake Edutainment Game Is Now A YouTube Hit |language=en-US |work=Kotaku |url=https://kotaku.com/a-fake-edutainment-game-is-now-a-youtube-hit-1827114239 |access-date=April 6, 2021 |archive-date=July 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220711013558/https://kotaku.com/a-fake-edutainment-game-is-now-a-youtube-hit-1827114239 |url-status=live}}{{cite news |last=Wöbbeking |first=Jan |date=June 8, 2018 |title=Baldie's Basics in Education and Learning: Bizarrer Überlebenskampf in der Edutainment-Schule |language=de |website=4Players |url=https://www.4players.de/4players.php/spielinfonews/PC-CDROM/39758/2175571/Baldis_Basics_in_Education_and_Learning-Bizarrer_Ueberlebenskampf_in_der_Edutainment-Schule.html |url-status=live |access-date=April 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220710193246/https://www.4players.de/4players.php/spielinfonews/PC-CDROM/39758/2175571/Baldis_Basics_in_Education_and_Learning-Bizarrer_Ueberlebenskampf_in_der_Edutainment-Schule.html |archive-date=July 10, 2022}} Various other content created by fans of the game, including a song adaptation by video game musical group Random Encounters, further contributed to its popularity.{{cite news |title=PC download charts: Why are 'Baldi's Basics' and 'Totally Accurate Battle Simulator' so popular again? |url=https://technology.inquirer.net/85223/pc-download-charts-why-are-baldis-basics-and-totally-accurate-battle-simulator-so-popular-again |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer |agency=AFP-Relaxnews |date=April 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250221192227/https://technology.inquirer.net/85223/pc-download-charts-why-are-baldis-basics-and-totally-accurate-battle-simulator-so-popular-again |archive-date=February 21, 2025 |url-status=live |access-date=March 3, 2025}}