Baba Files Taxes makes light of the upcoming tax season

Baba is a star in 2019’s Indie Darling and a sheeplike creature. Baba Is You, doesn’t know how to read or write. Baba has to complete some paperwork, which is an issue. The joke turned into a game Baba Files Taxes, you’re tasked with helping the armless critter file his taxes. It’s a fun game that creates confusion. This short game can be used to prepare emotionally for the 2023 tax season.

It’s free to download and play on Windows PC. It’s created by Hempuli, the original developer behind the mind-bending push puzzle game Baba Is You. You don’t need anything special to play it other than a functional mouse, and it can be completed in around 10 minutes (if you take your time).

Baba may be a little procrastinator, as he has delayed filing until that evening. Before we begin, we have to make a “very important decision” for Baba: We must choose which color ink to use to fill out the forms. I went with the rainbow-color pen, which I’m sure some fictional government bureaucrat will love.

As you play, you take on the role of Baba’s legal “responder” and fill out a form that looks like it was created in MS Paint. The form is peppered with fancy and funny legalese like “herefrom,” and lists of useless definitions of words like “Thing” and “Stuff.” The stakes of the game are high because as we read, “Any inaccuracies present in a submitted B-48A form are grounds for legal being taken against Responder.” As you go through, you basically play the game by filling out the form, and signing Baba’s name for it several times.

Image by Hempuli

I won’t betray the central conceit of the game — that’s something you’ll have to experience for yourself. But it’s a cute and quick play for those who want to laugh about the absurdity and nonsensical nature of modern bureaucracy.

It reminds me of some other indie gems that I love, such as Frog Fractions.This was the larger hidden game in a math game aimed at children. Frog FractionsThere is an entire section that will help you navigate the bug court with your frog and get a visa for work. Baba Files TaxesWith humor and humor, they also mock these absurdities.

Baba Files TaxesComments on an almost universal problem. One of the biggest and most frustrating problems in modern society is tax filing. We all look down at stacks of paperwork every year and ask ourselves this age-old question: How can the U.S. government know how much we owe? Why do we need it to be done for us individually? It’s all a game anyways, and now you can play it with Baba.