Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Impactful Choices I've Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've dealt with some hard decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section made me pause the game for several minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am responsible for countless Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what now might be the toughest selection I've ever made in gaming — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out game, is not really a choice-driven game. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to walk around a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its surprisingly deep narrative that will sneak up on you when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is transported from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a challenge, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all arises from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. During his adventure, he meets a cast of eccentric characters in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you experience no shortage of frustrating vignettes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s one true moment of selection. As Nate nears the end his journey, he finds that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail named The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps includes; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a gigantic spiral staircase as an alternative and reach the summit in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure 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 painful recollection of all he lacks. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely laden with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth striving just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in about they reject navigation help, but they can opt to provide Nate with respite and opt for the steps. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid whenever you see a simple solution. The environment includes design traps that change a secure way into a obstacle on a dime. Could the steps one more trick? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be disappointed by a final joke? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished another time by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path results in a authentic instance of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the dose of confidence that he requires.

But there’s no shame in the steps as well. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no real catch in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip completely down if he falls. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, of course, opted for The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

My Experience

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