The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Significant Decisions I Have Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've faced some difficult decisions in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence prompted me to set down my controller for around ten minutes while I thought through my choices. I am the cause of so many Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what possibly is the hardest choice I've faced in interactive media — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out game, is hardly a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to explore a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps game begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that moving around in it is a challenge, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all comes from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. As he progresses, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he plunges into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps’s one true moment of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he discovers that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and risky path called The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps includes; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs in its place and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Sir” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. 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 reality that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Taking on The Obstacle could be a time where he can prove that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be paved with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified suffering just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can choose to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about making you feel paranoid whenever you find a gift horse. The environment includes planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a difficulty suddenly. Could the steps 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 another time by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Both options leads to a authentic instance of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate eventually obtains a moment to show that he’s as competent as anyone else, consciously choosing a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the staircase as well. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no real catch in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide completely down if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing 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 unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

My Experience

When I played, I selected the steps. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call