The Game Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Significant Decisions I've Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've encountered some hard decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section prompted me to put my controller down for around ten minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am accountable for so many Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances compare to what possibly is the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in gaming — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a choice-driven game. At least not in any traditional sense. You only need to explore a sprawling open world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will surprise you when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that exemplifies that strength like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that moving around in it is a struggle, as years spent as a inactive individual have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all stems from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to others. As he progresses, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to help him out. A self-assured trekker seeks to provide Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you experience no shortage of annoying scenarios where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Pivotal Moment

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he finds that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route named The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game provides; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs as an alternative and get to the top in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an agonizing choice in the game's narrative. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is centered around the reality that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Taking on The Obstacle could be a instance where he can show that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely paved with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit struggling just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid each time you see a simple solution. The game world contains intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a difficulty instantly. Is the staircase yet another trap? Will Nate get at the peak just to be let down by a final joke? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated another time by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Both options results in a genuine moment of character development and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as others, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the dose of confidence that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps too. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip completely down if he falls. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the hiker who has, of course, chosen to take The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

My Choice

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