The Game Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Significant Choices I Have Ever Encountered in a Game

I've dealt with some difficult decisions in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section made me put my controller down for several minutes while I thought through my choices. I am accountable for countless Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations compare to what now might be the toughest selection I’ve had to make in a video game — and it concerns a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You simply have to navigate a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It looks like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s no moment that exemplifies that strength like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a challenge, as years spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all arises from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to give him a hand. A self-assured trekker seeks to provide Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. During the narrative, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s key situation of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to tell him that there are two paths upward. If he’s up for a challenge, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route named The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps provides; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can merely climb a enormous coiled steps instead and arrive at the peak in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an difficult selection in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the truth that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can show that he’s as capable as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely paved with more humiliating failures. Is it worth striving just to make a statement?

The steps, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid whenever you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a obstacle on a dime. Is the staircase yet another trap? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And more concerning, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being compelled to refer to a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path results in a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as able as others, willingly taking on a tough path rather than suffering 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 disgrace in the staircase either. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The staircase is not a trick. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip all the way down if he falls. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, of course, opted for The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

My Experience

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