Plus vs Classic
Baldi’s Basics Plus started from the original Baldi’s Basics in Education and Learning, now known as Baldi’s Basics Classic. The two share a teacher, a ruler and a love of hide and seek, but they play very differently. This comparison explains what Plus kept, what it changed and what it added, so you know what to expect coming from one to the other.
Where each game comes from
Baldi’s Basics Classic was made for the Meta Game Jam in 2018, a jam for games that deconstruct their genre, and released on itch.io. It parodies cheap 90s edutainment: a friendly teacher asks you math questions, and then things go wrong. Its success led to Baldi’s Basics Plus, which entered Early Access in June 2020 and has been expanded update by update since. Classic itself was later re-released as Baldi’s Basics Classic Remastered.
Side by side
| Classic | Plus | |
|---|---|---|
| The school | One fixed layout | Generated from a seed, new every run |
| Length | A single school | Five levels in a row in Hide & Seek |
| Notebooks | Seven, each with three math problems | 4, 7, 9, 7 and 9 per level, most behind an activity |
| Puzzles | Math problems in notebooks | Math Machine, Balloon Buster, Match Machine |
| What angers Baldi | Wrong answers make him faster | Notebooks and failed activities make him faster |
| The way out | Exits, once all notebooks are collected | Elevators with a button inside |
| Getting caught | Game over | You lose a power tube and replay the level |
| Inventory | 3 slots | 5 slots, more with the Backpack sticker |
| Progression | None between attempts | YTPs, Johnny’s Store, stickers, field trips |
What Plus kept
The heart of the game is the same. Baldi hunts you by sound and sight, every door you open is noise, and the faster he gets, the more you have to plan. The school rules are back, with the Principal of the Thing enforcing them, and so are the classic troublemakers: Playtime, It’s a Bully, Gotta Sweep, 1st Prize and Arts and Crafters. Items like the BSODA, Safety Scissors, the Quarter and Baldi’s Least Favorite Tape work in familiar ways.
What Plus changed
- Math became activities. Classic is famous for math problems that a “glitch” makes impossible to answer, forcing a wrong answer. Plus guards notebooks with three activities instead, each solvable if you are careful.
- The layout became random. In Classic you can learn the school by heart. In Plus you learn how levels are built instead, because the layout changes every run.
- Losing became part of the run. Power tubes give you several attempts at a level, depending on the play style.
- Characters changed behavior. Arts and Crafters, for example, teleports you to a random spot in Plus instead of sending you and Baldi back to the start.
What Plus added
| Addition | What it brings |
|---|---|
| New characters | Beans, Chalkles, Cloudy Copter, Dr. Reflex, Mrs. Pomp and The Test, for 13 in total |
| Level types | Maintenance, Factory and Laboratory on levels 4 and 5 |
| The Pitstop | Johnny’s Store, a storage locker and Save & Quit between levels |
| Stickers | A per-run upgrade system with up to four bonuses at once |
| Random events | Fog, floods, parties, lockdowns and more, announced by the school bell |
| Field trips | Camping minigames that reward items and YTPs |
| Modes | Endless, Field Trips, Challenges, a tutorial and four play styles |
Which one should you play?
They scratch different itches. Classic is short, fixed and iconic: a single school you can master, with the impossible questions that made the game famous. Plus is a longer, replayable game where each run plays out differently and skill carries over from run to run, but the layout never does.
Coming from Classic? Unlearn one habit first: in Plus, wrong answers aren’t forced on you. A failed activity is always your mistake, and avoiding it keeps Baldi much slower.
Moving from Classic to Plus
- Expect a new layout each run, and use the map.
- Read the chalkboard in each activity classroom.
- Learn the six new characters before they surprise you.
- Save YTPs for the later levels.
- Press the button inside the elevator to finish a level.
FAQ
Is Plus a remake of Classic?
No. Plus is a separate, much larger game built on the same idea. The remake of the original is Baldi’s Basics Classic Remastered.
Are the impossible math questions in Plus?
No. Plus replaced notebook math problems with activities that can be solved.
Which characters are new in Plus?
Beans, Chalkles, Cloudy Copter, Dr. Reflex, Mrs. Pomp and The Test.
For how Plus itself has changed over time, read our version history. To meet all thirteen characters, visit the Characters section, or start a run of Plus from the home page.