Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've dealt with some hard decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence prompted me to pause the game for around ten minutes while I weighed my choices. I am accountable for countless Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what now might be the hardest choice I've ever made in interactive media — and it concerns a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out game, is not really a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You must walk around a expansive environment as Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all stems from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to give him a hand. A self-assured trekker tries to give Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he discovers that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game includes; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs as an alternative and reach the summit in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an difficult selection in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in a particularly bizarre situation. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the truth that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his unilateral competitor, but that route is sure to be filled with more humiliating failures. Is it worth striving just to prove a point?

The staircase, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in if they reject navigation help, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and opt for the steps. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about causing suspicion whenever you see a simple solution. The game world contains intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a difficulty suddenly. Are the stairs an additional deception? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he prepared to be humiliated another time by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path leads to a real situation of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as competent as everyone else, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs too. To opt for that way is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The staircase is not a trick. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he does not fall all the way down if he falls. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

During my game, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call