The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've faced some challenging choices in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments led me to put my controller down for several minutes while I weighed my options. I am the cause of countless Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what now might be the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in a video game — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the developers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a choice-driven game. At least not in typical gaming terms. You only need to explore a expansive environment as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that walking through it is a struggle, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all arises from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he plunges into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you experience no shortage of irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s key situation of selection. As Nate nears the end his adventure, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) appears to tell him that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and risky path dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game provides; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs instead and arrive at the peak in a short time. The only caveat? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in the game's narrative. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the fact that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can show that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be paved with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified struggling just to make a statement?

The staircase, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The player has no choice in about they turn away a map, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt whenever you encounter an easy option. The environment includes design traps that turn a safe route into a obstacle suddenly. Are the stairs yet another trap? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path leads to a authentic instance of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as capable as anyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the stairs as well. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he does not fall all the way down if he falls. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call