Baby Steps Features Among the Most Meaningful Choices I Have Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've dealt with some challenging decisions in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence made me set down my controller for around ten minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am the cause of countless Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. None of those moments hold a candle to what could be the hardest choice I've ever made in gaming — and it involves a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out game, is hardly a decision-focused experience. At least not in typical gaming terms. You must navigate a expansive environment as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s no situation that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all comes from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to help him out. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a map, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate nears the end his quest, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and dangerous hiking trail named The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game has to offer; attempting it appears unwise to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can merely climb a gigantic spiral staircase instead and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the truth that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be paved with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit suffering just to prove a point?

The steps, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can opt to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about causing suspicion whenever you see a simple solution. The game world contains design traps that turn a safe route into a obstacle on a dime. Could the steps one more trick? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And more troubling, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being forced to call a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path leads to a real situation of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt 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 tough path rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the dose of confidence that he craves.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps either. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he realizes that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall completely down if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, selected The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

When I played, I selected the steps. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call