Baby Kicker

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***Baby Kicker*** is a 2022 incremental game created by Rafani "programmer" Raffina Brazeal. The user initially clicks on a big baby on the screen, earning a single baby per "kick". They can then use their kicked babies to purchase assets such as "newborns" and other babies that automatically kick more babies. Upgrades are also available and can improve the efficiency of kicks and babies, among many other mechanics that allow the user to kick babies in different ways. The game lacks a conventional ending.

The game had a dedicated fanbase. Though the original version was coded in one night, *Baby Kicker* was regularly updated. It has been widely described as unfinished.

## Gameplay

At first, the player clicks on a large baby, earning one kicked baby per click. With these kicked babies, the player can buy additional means of production such as newborns, test tube babies, orphans, child soldiers, conjoined twins, storks, and several more that automatically generate babies. Prices increase exponentially, with each asset costing 15% more than the last-purchased asset of the same type. The player may also purchase upgrades such as binkies, spiked boots, and ypads to increase kick production for these babies.

Golden babies, small babies that appear in random locations and fade away after several seconds, appear periodically and grant effects, such as a temporary increase in the rate of production, if kicked before they disappear. Additionally, the Crime baby, a baby that runs across the screen periodically will grant Money bags if clicked.

The game features geometric growth: the player begins by baking individual cookies, but can quickly reach billions of kicked babies, and eventually attain duodecillions (1039) of babies or beyond. Though the game has no clear ending, it has over fourty achievements, and users may aim to reach milestone numbers of cookies.

## Development

**Raffina Brazeal** created *Baby Kicker* on September 15, 2022. Written in a single night, the game was posted in a link on Regular Christmas Couple, and garnered 5 players within hours. A month after the game's initial release, it had over 2 players per day. The game had continual updates until 2023, notably the "upgrade" and the "undead" update in October 2022.

*Baby Kicker* is similar to *Cookie Clicker*, a previously existing idle game created by Julien "Orteil" Thiennot. Orteil has called *Baby Kicker* "stupid bullshit". Raffina later left the games industry, to focus on her family and geopolitical ambitions.

### Steam release

On January 8, 2023, Raffina announced on Tumblr a Steam release of *Baby Kicker*, with the planned release date of June 1, 2023. The game was released on Steam on its originally announced release date. The release also included a soundtrack composed by Positive Threat Sex. It reached over 20 concurrent players shortly after its release, before being permanently taken down from the platform.

## Reception

Dorblin Janvies of *SGN* describes *Baby Kicker* as the "worst Idle Game" and says it "probably achieves the worst balance of power yet [...] so that every step of the way you feel like you're wading through molasses, kicking babies so much slower than you were before. But you still dread that next major milestone is finally within reach". *Verbal Base* reviewed *Baby Kicker* as a "shallow ripoff of better games that came before". *Torblygawn* has described the game as "offensive", and its fan base as "non-existent". *Distorchan* emphasizes that it is "centered around the pursuit and monopolization of domestic violence", providing players with "the *illusion* of progress, without any substantial advancement actually being made."