The Game Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Significant Decisions I've Ever Experienced in a Game

I've encountered some hard decisions in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments led me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my alternatives. I am accountable for so many Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what possibly is the toughest selection I’ve had to make in a video game — and it involves a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a choice-driven game. At least not in typical gaming terms. You only need to walk around a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will surprise you when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes that walking through it is a challenge, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all arises from users guiding Nate gradually, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to help him out. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you experience no shortage of annoying scenarios where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate nears the end his adventure, he finds that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and risky path called The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps includes; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps in its place and get to the top in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Master” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is focused on the truth that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Attempting The Obstacle could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be filled with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit struggling just to demonstrate something?

The steps, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in about they reject navigation help, but they can decide to give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about making you feel paranoid anytime you see a simple solution. The environment includes planned obstacles that change a secure way into a obstacle on a dime. Could the steps one more trick? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be let down by a final joke? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated another time by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path results in a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate eventually obtains a moment to show that he’s as competent as everyone else, consciously choosing a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps as well. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip to the bottom if he trips. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, of course, opted for The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the arrangement scarcely looks so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

My Choice

In my playthrough, I chose the staircase. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call