The Game Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Significant Decisions I've Ever Encountered in a Game

I've dealt with some hard choices in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments prompted me to put my controller down for several minutes while I thought through my choices. I am responsible for so many Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. None of those moments hold a candle to what possibly is the toughest selection I’ve had to make in a video game — and it involves a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out, is hardly a selection-based adventure. At least not in the conventional way. You simply have to navigate a sprawling open world as Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It looks like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes that moving around in it is a challenge, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all stems from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. During his adventure, he meets a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants 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 insecure to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a snow-capped peak. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and dangerous hiking trail called The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps provides; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs as an alternative and reach the summit in a short time. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” 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 all of Nate’s insecurities about himself culminating in a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Undertaking The Challenge could be a instance where he can show that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that road is bound to be paved with more humiliating failures. Is it worth struggling just to prove a point?

The staircase, on the contrary, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It should be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt whenever you see a simple solution. The game world contains intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a difficulty on a dime. Is the staircase yet another trap? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be disappointed by a final joke? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished once again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Either one brings about a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as others, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps as well. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, of course, opted for The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call