Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Impactful Decisions I Have Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've encountered some challenging decisions in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence led me to pause the game for several minutes while I weighed my options. I am the cause of countless Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what possibly is the toughest selection I've faced in interactive media — and it involves a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. At least not in the conventional way. You only need to navigate a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will sneak up on you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a challenge, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all stems from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has trouble voicing that to others. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to assist him. A composed outdoorsman seeks to provide Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers 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 self-conscious to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s key situation of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he finds that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail called The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can merely climb a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and arrive at the peak in a short time. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is focused on the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can show that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be laden with more humiliating failures. Is it justified striving just to prove a point?

The steps, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in if they turn away a map, but they can opt to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about creating doubt anytime you find a gift horse. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a obstacle instantly. Are the stairs yet another trap? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be let down by a final joke? And more troubling, is he willing to be emasculated yet again by being forced to call a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Both options 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 eventually obtains a chance to prove that he’s as competent as everyone else, willingly taking on a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no disgrace in the stairs too. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he does, he realizes that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, chosen to take The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the arrangement scarcely looks so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

In my playthrough, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call