Baldi's Basics

Video game fandom
Name	Baldi's Basics In Education And Learning
Abbreviation(s)	Baldi's Basics; BB; BBIEAL
Developer(s)	Micah McGonigal
Publisher(s)	Basically, Games!
Release date	2018
Platform(s)	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS
Genre(s)	horror, puzzle game
External link(s)	Basically Games
Related articles on Fanlore.

Baldi's Basics is an indie horror video game developed by Micah McGonigal. It was released on March 31, 2018, made for Itch.io's Meta Game Jam.

A paid version of Baldi's Basics with a number of new features called Baldi's Basics Plus was released in early access on June 12, 2020.

A remastered version of the original Baldi's Basics, Baldi's Basics Classic Remastered, was released on October 21, 2022.

Plot Overview

In Baldi's Basics Classic, the main character is the friend of another student who forgot their notebooks at school. As such, they tasked with gathering their friend's notebooks by going from classroom to classroom and picking them up from tables. Upon entering the schoolhouse, the protagonist is cordially greeted by Baldi, a teacher at the Schoolhouse. Upon taking a notebook, the protagonist must solve a set of math problems with addition and subtraction. Starting with the second notebook, however, the third question is displayed as an indecipherable string of jumbled characters that cannot be answered correctly. After answering an equation incorrectly, Baldi begins chasing the protagonist, becoming faster with each one not answered right, though he slows down over time. The various other characters may hinder or assist the protagonist depending on the situation. Once the protagonist has gathered all seven notebooks, the lights in the school turn red and Baldi congratulates them, proceeding to scream that they should "get out while they still can" (though this is actually said by Null, a hidden character). The main character must then locate the exits on the four sides of the building; each time they approach an exit, it disappears, being replaced with a wall, with only the final exit allowing the protagonist to leave.

Baldi's Basics Classic also has a secret ending that can be obtained by answering each and every question wrong. After leaving the building, the protagonist is brought to a poster in a hallway saying that they should visit Baldi's office for some tips. Opening the door to Baldi's office, they encounter Null, a corrupted character who adresses the player directly and requests that they delete the game in order to prevent something bad from happening. After he finishes his monologue, the game closes.

Canon

Characters

• Baldi - the game's titular character and mathematics teacher in Baldi's Schoolhouse and Baldi's Super Schoolhouse. Though seemingly quite friendly and amiable, he becomes very upset when the player answers math problems incorrectly. He has a penchant for inventing various devices and contraptions.

• Principal of the Thing - the schoolhouse's principal. Solemn and strict, he looks out for students breaking rules and sends them to detention if he catches them doing so. Despite his outwardly austere demeanor, he does have a sense of humor that is evidenced by his occasional jokes.
• Playtime - a cheerful young girl with poor memory and eyesight, constantly seeking out someone to skip rope with.
• Gotta Sweep - the schoolhouse's lively janitor, a green broom with black bristles, who appears to enjoy his job greatly. He was hired last-minute due to the school's lack of a janitor despite its forthcoming opening.
• It's a Bully - a somewhat corpulent rude boy who stands in halls and prevents others from passing him unless they give him food or items.
• Arts and Crafters - a shy and timid life-sized sock puppet. He usually tries to avoid others and has a tendency to be jealous of students with more notebooks than him.
• 1st Prize - a robot that won first prize at a science fair. He loves to "hug" people, though apparently his design limitations result in him pushing them instead.
• Cloudy Copter - a strange, cloud-like creature that flies around the school, blowing wind down the hallways. Certain behaviors may indicate that it may be a little rogueish.
• Mrs. Pomp - a high-spirited teacher and lively teacher. She becomes incensed when students are late to her classes.
• Beans - a student that tries to impress those around him by blowing bubble gum. This always results in him unintentionally spitting the gum out.
• Chalkles - a puckish chalk drawing that came to life. It appears on blackboards throughout the school and enjoys causing mischief.
• Dr. Reflex - the school nurse, an enthusiastic doctor who uses a special reflex-testing method to diagnose students. He, like most of the other staff, is very easily inflamed by disobedience.
• Johnny - an affable boy who runs a store located on one of the floors of Baldi's Super Schoolhouse.
• Null - formerly called "filename2" by fans, he is a self-aware entity presumably a human trapped within Baldi's Basics. He attempts to convince the player to uninstall the game, stating that something terrible may occur if they do not heed his warnings. Though he displays a mostly calm mien, he can be quite aggressive when frustrated.
• The Protagonist - the player character, a student who is sometimes portrayed in fanworks as a grey cylinder due to their in-game model. They can be assumed to be in some measure foresighted and quick-witted.

Fandom

Shipping

• Baldi/Principal of the Thing
• Baldi/Dr. Reflex
• Baldi/Reader
• Principal of the Thing/Reader
• Null/Reader

Baldi and the Principal of the Thing are the most common BB pairing, especially in early fanworks. Following the release of Version 0.4 of Baldi's Basics Plus, which introduced Dr. Reflex, Baldi and Dr. Reflex became a relatively popular ship, having a significant number of fanfiction and artworks made of them. Reader-insert is also very common in BB fanfiction.

Notable Works

Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples.