The player must answer mathematical questions before moving on to the next notebook. At first, the questions are simple and to the point, which helps to drive home the lesson's point. Still, there's always that one difficult problem lurking in the shadows, that incoherent jumble of numbers and symbols. There is no solution. You can't escape failure. Something happens in the game world the second the player enters an erroneous answer. Even Baldi's seemingly harmless personality takes on an ominous tone as he subtly alters his behavior and the way he sounds. The entire school is startled by the sudden clash of a ruler with a hand.