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

I've dealt with some hard decisions in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section made me put my controller down for several minutes while I thought through my choices. I am accountable for so many Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances measure up to what possibly is the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in interactive media — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out, is hardly 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 hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its surprisingly deep narrative that will sneak up on you when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that walking through it is a challenge, as a long time spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all stems from users guiding Nate gradually, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to others. As he progresses, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he clumsily declines in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s key situation of selection. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route named The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps in its place and reach the summit in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an difficult selection in context. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in a single ridiculous instant. An element of Nate's story is revolves around the truth that he’s unconfident of his physique and male identity. Whenever he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of what he fails to be. Taking on The Challenge could be a time where he can prove that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit striving just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in if they turn away a map, but they can choose to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It might seem like an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt anytime you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that transform an easy path into a setback instantly. Is the staircase yet another trap? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated yet again by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options results in a genuine moment of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as capable as anyone else, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the staircase either. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no real catch in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he does not fall completely down if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, naturally, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s fatigued, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

My Choice

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