The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Impactful Decisions I Have Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've dealt with some hard choices in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima ending section made me put my controller down for around ten minutes while I weighed my options. I am responsible for numerous Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. None of those moments measure up to what could be the hardest choice I've faced in a video game — and it concerns a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. At least not in typical gaming terms. You only need to navigate a sprawling open world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is transported from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that moving around in it is a challenge, as years spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all comes from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman seeks to provide Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and truly prefers to be confined in the cavity. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route named The Manbreaker. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game provides; taking it seems inadvisable to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase in its place and reach the summit in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in context. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in a particularly bizarre situation. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the reality that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Attempting The Challenge could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be laden with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth striving just to make a statement?

The steps, on the other hand, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The gamer cannot choose in about they turn away a map, but they can opt to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion each time you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a setback instantly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be let down by an ending prank? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Both options brings about a authentic instance of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as anyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the staircase either. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip all the way down if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, of course, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, 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, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

My Choice

During my game, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call