The Game Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Impactful Choices I've Ever Faced in Video Games

I've faced some challenging choices in interactive entertainment. Several of my selections in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence prompted me to put my controller down for around ten minutes while I weighed my choices. I am responsible for countless Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. None of those moments hold a candle to what possibly is the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in gaming — and it concerns a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out, is hardly a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in the conventional way. You must explore a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It looks like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its surprisingly deep narrative that will sneak up on you when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a challenge, as years spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The slapstick elements of it all comes from players controlling Nate one step at a time, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who all offer to help him out. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he finds that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route named The Manbreaker. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game includes; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs as an alternative and arrive at the peak in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself reaching a climax in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is revolves around the truth that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of what he fails to be. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that road is bound to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified striving just to make a statement?

The steps, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in about they turn away a map, but they can opt to give Nate a break and take the stairs. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about making you feel paranoid each time you see a simple solution. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a obstacle suddenly. Are the stairs one more trick? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path brings about a real situation of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as anyone else, consciously choosing a tough path rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps either. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no real catch in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip all the way down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

My Choice

When I played, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call