Baby Steps Features One of the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've faced some hard decisions in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments led me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my options. I am accountable for countless Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances compare to what possibly is the toughest selection I've faced in interactive media — and it involves a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to explore a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes that moving around in it is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all comes from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to other characters. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you experience no shortage of irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Defining Decision

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of choice. As Nate nears the end his journey, he realizes that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) appears to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path named The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps includes; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps in its place and reach the summit in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself culminating in a single ridiculous instant. An element of Nate's story is revolves around the reality that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a time where he can show that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified striving just to prove a point?

The staircase, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt each time you see a simple solution. The game world contains intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a setback on a dime. Is the staircase one more trick? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be disappointed by a final joke? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being compelled to refer to a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options results in a real situation of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase either. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback 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 does not fall all the way down if he trips. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, naturally, chosen to take The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

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