The Game Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Faced in Gaming

I've encountered some hard choices in interactive entertainment. Several of my selections in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments made me set down my controller for several minutes while I considered my choices. I am the cause of numerous Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. None of those moments measure up to what now might be the hardest choice I've ever made in gaming — and it concerns a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. At least not in any traditional sense. You must navigate a vast game world as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like a key selection that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that moving around in it is a challenge, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all comes from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to help him out. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s key situation of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he finds that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long 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 alternative choice: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps instead and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The sole condition? 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 agonizing choice in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the fact that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that road is bound to be laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth struggling just to make a statement?

The steps, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in about they decline guidance, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt whenever you see a simple solution. The environment includes planned obstacles that change a secure way into a obstacle instantly. Is the staircase yet another trap? Could Nate reach at the peak just to be fooled by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being forced to call an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one results in a genuine moment of character development and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as others, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs as well. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall completely down if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, naturally, selected The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Choice

When I played, I opted for the stairs. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call