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

I've dealt with some difficult choices in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments prompted me to pause the game for around ten minutes while I considered my choices. I am responsible for countless Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations compare to what now might be the toughest selection I've ever made in interactive media — and it concerns a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out, is not really a choice-driven game. At least not in the conventional way. You simply have to explore a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will sneak up on you when it's most unexpected. There’s no situation that exemplifies that strength like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that walking through it is a difficulty, as years spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all comes from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to others. During his adventure, he meets a cast of eccentric characters in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A self-assured trekker tries to give Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s one true moment of selection. As Nate nears the end his journey, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route dubbed The Challenge. 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 as an alternative and get to the top in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the reality that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of what he fails to be. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be laden with more humiliating failures. Is it worth struggling just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in about they decline guidance, but they can opt to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about causing suspicion each time you find a gift horse. The game world contains planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a obstacle instantly. Could the steps an additional deception? Could Nate reach at the peak just to be disappointed by a final joke? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished once again by being forced to call an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path leads to a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as anyone else, consciously choosing a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs too. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no secret drawback waiting for him. The steps are not a joke. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, naturally, chosen to take The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Experience

During my game, I opted for the stairs. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call