The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I've Ever Faced in Gaming

I've encountered some challenging decisions in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence made me pause the game for a good 10 minutes while I considered my choices. I am responsible for numerous Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what now might be the hardest choice I've ever made in a video game — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You must walk around a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. 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 not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a struggle, as years spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all stems from players controlling Nate one step at a time, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate requires assistance, but he has trouble voicing that to other characters. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who all offer to assist him. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route called The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game includes; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a second option: He can merely climb a enormous coiled steps instead and get to the top in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” 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 this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in a single ridiculous instant. An element of Nate's story is focused on the fact that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a time where he can prove that he’s as capable as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely laden with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified struggling just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in about they decline guidance, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid anytime you encounter an easy option. The game world contains design traps that turn a safe route into a setback instantly. Is the staircase yet another trap? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be fooled by a final joke? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options leads to a real situation of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as able as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no disgrace in the staircase as well. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to take support. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip to the bottom if he falls. It’s a straightforward ascent after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

During my game, I chose the staircase. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call