The Game Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Meaningful Choices I Have Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've faced some challenging choices in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments made me put my controller down for several minutes while I considered my choices. I am accountable for so many Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what possibly is the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in gaming — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. At least not in typical gaming terms. You must walk around a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a difficulty, as years spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all stems from players controlling Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to others. As he progresses, he meets a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to assist him. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a map, but he awkwardly refuses 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 truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you experience no shortage of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he realizes that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) appears to tell him that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route called The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game has to offer; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs as an alternative and reach the summit in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is focused on the truth that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that road is bound to be filled with more humiliating failures. Is it justified struggling just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the contrary, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid whenever you find a gift horse. The environment includes design traps that turn a safe route into a difficulty on a dime. Is the staircase yet another trap? Will Nate get at the peak just to be let down by an ending prank? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated another time by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options brings about a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as competent as everyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the dose of confidence that he requires.

But there’s no disgrace in the staircase either. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, 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 easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide all the way down if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s fatigued, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

My Experience

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