Babbling Brook Review (PC)

Babbling Brook is a bit like Lemmings without the hassle of needing to keep the fidgety strollers from barreling into the pits of a nocturnal abyss. I suppose it’s also a bit like I Am Fish, except the fish doesn’t need a bowl to survive, and the inhabitants who make up the world aren’t known to vomit in the water. The objective, though, remains almost entirely the same: take one pool of critters, and help them reach a final hurdle by either terraforming the planet or utilizing the power of physics to alter the tides and steer the flow of the water. Inflatable ducks? Check. A winding spiral for a beaten path? Check. A tool that allows you the flexibility to carve and assemble watery routes from the precipice of a mountain to the mouth of an oceanic haven? Check, check, and check.

While it doesn’t take a genius to understand how the flow of a current bends and weans to the formation of the terrain, Babbling Brook does make it so that the act of guiding a few rubber ducks down a waterlogged river can be seen as a rather perplexing exercise. Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, given that Babbling Brook isn’t so much of a puzzle game as it is a “narrative-driven” stepping stone procedure. Yet, in its relatively short run it does make a good attempt at keeping you on your toes, if not to keep you scratching your head, then to make you think twice before happily placing another rock, another sandpit, or another tidal barrier.

If you’re eager to learn more about Some Random Designing’s latest inflatable puzzler, then let’s go ahead and pump up this buoy. Take the wheel, ducks.

Flowing With the Breeze

To put it out in the open, Babbling Brook is a simple game with simple physics-based mechanics. It’s so simple, in fact, that it mostly revolves around the one goal: to transform the world into a flowing stream to help a ragtag group of inflatable ducks reach the ocean. With that, there are biomes for you to explore, bridges for you to build, and an entire seasoning of rocks, sandstone and clogged watering holes to work with. And that’s about all there is to know about Babbling Brook. Like I said, simple physics-based fun on a toe-deep ocean bed.

It begins with a few ducks, and then a lot of ducks, and then, after a set amount of time, a cascading school of inflatables and “rare” fish folk. The idea, of course, is to manipulate the terrain—an act that more or less involves punching holes in the ground to create streams, and moving landmarks and rock formations in order to establish paths for the ducks and water to flow through to the next destination. A level passes, and, lo and behold, the ducks nudge just that tiny bit closer to the shore. And again, if you think this sounds a little too easy, well, that’s because it is.

An entry-level “cozy” puzzle game at heart, Babbling Brook doesn’t force you to think outside the box, so to speak. Granted, it isn’t a linear process, and it does often require you to think ahead, whether it’s drawing out potential routes or testing the waters to see if you can split the streams to add another duck or pond rarity to your convoy. All in all, though, you don’t need a degree in agriculture to understand how to herd ducks and usher them down a mountain.

If the Duck Floats

To answer that all-important question of whether or not Babbling Brook is an enjoyable game — yes, it is. Thankfully, there is a good selection of levels to sift through here, with each one housing its own terrain and environmental curveballs. There isn’t a lot to wrap your head around in regards to the mechanics, as the game is more or less reliant on your wrecking ball mentality and ability to create sinkholes out of aimless clicks. That being said, the process of guiding the ducks through the mountain is, weirdly, incredibly entertaining. It’s a little easier than most of your Lemmings-like escapades, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.

Babbling Brook is a relatively short game at heart, and so, if you are looking to whet your toes with a sizable campaign that touts endless replay sessions, then you might be in for a shock with this nautical adventure. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that it lacks substance, because it certainly has more than enough to keep you invested for the long haul.

To add to the above, Babbling Brook features a sweet and wholesome pastel aesthetic with a ton of vibrant colors and characters. Again, it’s liminal and childish, yet it’s as equally captivating and pleasant to openly gawp at. Is it a picture-perfect masterpiece? Not even in the slightest, no. However, for a game that wears its heart on its sleeve and is, with all due respect, about as basic as they come, I will give credit where it’s due and say that, for a cozy duck-centric puzzler, it looks all rather beautiful. Ducks, eh — who’d have thought?

Verdict

Babbling Brook inflates an idyllic stream for an obstacle course that is both incredibly satisfying and rewarding to flow through en route to that ever-elusive oceanic beacon. It isn’t the most painfully taxing puzzle game on the shoreline, nor is it one that divvies its time between diverse tasks. That being said, it is a straightforward, to-the-point inflatable puzzler that will keep you entertained for an hour or two whilst you wait idly for the next watering hole to unclog your boredom.

If it’s an ode to the likes of Lemmings that you wouldn’t mind dipping your toes into, then you ought to give Babbling Brook a shot. If, on the other hand, it’s a strenuous task that beckons you to pull your hair out as you mindlessly barrel through the mud, then you might be better off sticking with I Am Fish. Either way, I’d say Babbling Brook boasts enough potential and charm to warrant a quick dip in the deep end — inflatables optional.