The Game Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Impactful Choices I Have Ever Faced in Gaming

I've dealt with some challenging choices in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence prompted me to set down my controller for several minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am the cause of numerous Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations compare to what could be the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in a video game — and it concerns a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, is not really a choice-driven game. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You only need to explore a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a struggle, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all arises from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to others. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to assist him. A composed outdoorsman seeks to provide Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls 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 irritating episodes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he discovers that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route named The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps includes; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps in its place and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the truth that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Taking on The Obstacle could be a instance where he can show that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely laden with more humiliating failures. Does it merit striving just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The player has no choice in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can opt to give Nate a break and take the stairs. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion anytime you see a simple solution. The game world contains intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a setback instantly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being forced to call an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path results in a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as able as anyone else, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps too. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to take support. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide all the way down if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, of course, chosen to take The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

My Experience

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