The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Impactful Choices I've Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've encountered some challenging decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section prompted me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am responsible for countless Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what possibly is the hardest choice I’ve had to make in a video game — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out game, is not really a decision-focused experience. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to walk around a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his wobbly legs. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its surprisingly deep narrative that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that showcases that quality like a key selection that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps game begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all arises from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and truly prefers to be confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail called The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps has to offer; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps instead and reach the summit in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. An element of Nate's story is focused on the truth that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can show that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit suffering just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the other hand, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt whenever you encounter an easy option. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that transform an easy path into a setback instantly. Are the stairs one more trick? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being made to address 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 decide to take on The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as competent as anyone else, willingly taking on a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps either. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, opted for The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

My Experience

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