The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Impactful Decisions I've Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've encountered some challenging decisions in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments prompted me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my options. I am the cause of numerous Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances measure up to what could be the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in gaming — and it involves a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the developers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. At least not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to navigate a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a challenge, as years spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all comes from users guiding Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. As he progresses, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he tries to play it off like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s key situation of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he realizes that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps includes; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs as an alternative and get to the top in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself culminating in a single ridiculous instant. An element of Nate's story is centered around the fact that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of what he fails to be. Attempting The Challenge could be a time where he can prove that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be paved with more humiliating failures. Is it justified suffering just to prove a point?

The steps, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The gamer cannot choose in about they decline guidance, but they can opt to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It might seem like an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about causing suspicion each time you encounter an easy option. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a difficulty on a dime. Are the stairs an additional deception? Will Nate get at the peak just to be fooled by an ending prank? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being forced to call a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Either one results in a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Manbreaker, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as others, consciously choosing a tough path rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no disgrace in the stairs either. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to take support. And when he does, he realizes that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The staircase is not a trick. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip completely down if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Challenge. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. Part of me just {wanted to call