Last edited 07/16/2021
Rules you should know
If you’re reading this page, I’ll assume you have cleared The Lake. You should have finished enough to know everything from the Overworld, plus the following:
And (Lake 01 and 02)
Move (Lake 03)
Open and Shut (Lake 06, 07, and 10)
Transformations (Lake 08 and 09)
How to create two statements with one noun (Lake 05). This should also apply to making two statements with one property.
If any of the rules don’t make sense, revisit the appropriate levels.
Solitary Island
Not that you have a choice where to go.
Initial Island Map.
To clear this world, you need to clear 8 of the 18 levels. I recommend finishing through level 10. Levels 11-12 are a bit tricky so you might want to come back later. The extra levels are just that - extra. However, a few of them are easy pickings, like extras 1 and 2.
The green levels teach you about Float, and the red ones give you more info on Move.
Note that the order of the levels in this world have moved around a lot since the game was first released. At this point the order printed here should be the settled, correct order.
Remember that hints are invisible until the text is highlighted. Bold text discusses the rules. Italic text discusses all objects of the named type. Regular text discusses the actual instances. Text “in quotes” refers to the actual text in the level.
Stuck elsewhere? Navigate using the following pictures:
Island 00: Poem
Difficulty: **
About the Level
Rose is Red
Violet is Blue
Flag is Win
Baba is You
- Avri Teikari, 2018
Hints
Gentle Nudge: The space to the left of "Violet" looks empty.
Island 01: Float
Difficulty: *
About the Level
New material: noun Float.
Look at how Baba seems to Float in mid-air. Try floating over the Walls, the Rocks, and the Flag. Does everything work the same way? Some things don’t seem to apply to an object with Float, but others do. Can you determine what that specific thing is?
Hints
Gentle Nudge: This level looks almost exactly like the opening level. Should it be completed the same way?
Island 02: Warm River
Difficulty: **
Hints
Gentle Nudge: You can't change Skull is Float. How can Baba pass by?
Bigger Nudge: If Baba is Float and Water is not, you can cross. Is there another way to cross?
Island 03: Bridge Building
Difficulty: *
About the Level
New material: noun Text.
That’s right, you can even manipulate the rules applying to Text. It seems that Text is Push is always active, but other rules can be added on. Text is Float is a common one.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: What is preventing you from getting the top rock out of the corner?
Bigger Nudge: Does "Push" provide you with any use?
Island 04: Bridge Building?
Difficulty: *
About the Level
Levels which look like a previous puzzle with one small difference are often solved entirely differently. How to discover that solution is to look at exactly what has changed. That change is the key.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: There are two changes to this level. What are they?
Bigger Nudge: One change is the placement of the rocks, yes. What is the other one? Has one of the rules changed? If so, that means the rule from the previous level does not apply.
Island 05: Victory Spring
Difficulty: *
About the Level
New material: Cog
Hints
Gentle Nudge: How many objects do you have access to that you can Sink in the Water?
Bigger Nudge: You can't change the rules at the top of the screen. Why do you have access to them?
Island 06: Assembly Team
Difficulty: *
About the Level
New material: nouns Robot and Pipe. Should be obvious which is which.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Why is "Baba" on your side of the river?
Island 07: Catch the Thief!
Difficulty: **
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Who is going to cross the Skulls?
Bigger Nudge: Who is going to push "Win" up two spaces?
Island 08: Tiny Pond
Difficulty: ****
About the Level
This is a tricky one, but don’t skip it. You’re going to want to know the tricks you’ll learn from this level.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: How will you get "Win" out of the pond? How many pieces of Water need to be removed?
Bigger Nudge: You start with three objects which can potentially be You. Do you need that many?
Specific Hint: If You is multiple objects, you can afford to lose one.
Island 09: Research Facility
Difficulty: ***
About the Level
New noun: Bolt
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Imagine the rule Bolt is Melt did not exist. How would you solve this level?
Bigger Nudge: The existence of Bolt is Melt means Baba must be in a very specific place at a very specific time. Why?
Island 10: Wireless Connection
Difficulty: ***
About the Level
New material: noun Bog - like Water and Lava, another liquid obstacle, this time puke green.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Something needs to be Win. What will the sentence which makes that rule look like?
Bigger Nudge: Which exact words need to be added to the sentence as it stands initially in order to make ___ is Win?
Island 11: Prison
Difficulty: *****
About the Level
This level was added to the game after the initial release. Before, a different level stood in its place, but apparently the trick was too difficult and so this level was added to help ease you into learning the trick. If it’s too difficult for you now, feel free to come back later. It is not necessary to learn it to get the normal ending of the game.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Don't overthink it - the only way out of the pen is to break up Wall is Stop. Therefore, it must be possible.
Bigger Nudge: The very first thing you should try doing is pushing Keke around. Why can't you? What happens instead?
Island Extra 1: Boiling River
Difficulty: **
About the Level
Based on Island 02. The solution for this level is something you can actually do in Island 02, but it’s likely you didn’t notice it. You’re going to have to notice it now.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: It seems redundant to have two separate statements about Baba.
Island Extra 2: Bridges?
Difficulty: **
About the Level
Based on Island 03 and Island 04. Similar puzzle, wildly different solution from the other two.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Which exact objects in this level will Sink into the Water? Which ones won't?
Island Extra 3: Tiny Isle
Difficulty: *****
About the Level
Similar to Island 08. The solution to this extra level is possible in the original one, but it’s likely you didn’t think of it then.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: What exactly has changed between Island 08 and this level?
Bigger Nudge: How many tiles of Water need to be removed to get "Win" out of the pond? What rule would you need to do that? Is that even possible?
Specific Hint: How many tiles of Water need to be removed to get something into the pond?
Island Extra 4: Dim Signal
Difficulty: **
About the Level
New material, kind of: noun Ice. We’ve seen actual tiles of Ice in other levels, but this is the first time we see the word... and there’s no actual tiles of Ice in the level.
You’ll notice I gave this level fewer difficulty stars than Island 10. That’s because I believe the logical leap required to solve this one is not as large, once you already know the solution to Island 10. Sometimes extra levels are like that, but not often. Enjoy the break from the tough levels.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Look at your solution to Island 10. Were there any leftover pieces, and if so, how many?
Bigger Nudge: How will your win condition look different from than of Island 10?
Specific Hint: What would you need in order to use your Robot or Cog twice?
Island Extra 5: Dungeon
Difficulty: **
About the Level
Yes, the difficulty rating is correct. If you solved Island 11, the logical leap needed to solve this one is small.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: If there is no "Push" available, how can you move both Baba and Keke?
Island Extra 6: Evaporating River
Difficulty: *****
About the Level
Similar to Island 02 and Island Extra 01, but with a greater twist.
Hints
Gentle Nudge: Do you have access to any rules on the edges of the level? How can you change them?
Bigger Nudge: Why are there three skulls in a row by the word "Flag"? Has this arrangement given you an assumption on how you will approach the word "Flag"?
Specific Hint: How will you cross the Water from the left? Is it the same way you will cross back?
World Complete!
Once you clear this world, two paths open to you. The upper path leads to the third world, Temple Ruins. The lower path leads to the fourth world, Forest of Fall. While you can certainly clear the later worlds in whichever order you like, I really don’t recommend trying to do these two out of order. You need to understand the concepts from the Ruins in order to get through Forest of Fall. Not only that, but the Ruins is much, much easier.
In the meantime, do these hints work? Anything spoil too much? Do the hints actually help or are they too vague? Maybe you thought of a really good hint yourself? Send them to me. (Don’t comment them below.) You can find me @keyofw on Twitter or keyofw on Reddit. DM me anytime.