Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Meaningful Choices I Have Ever Faced in a Game

I've faced some challenging choices in video games. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments made me set down my controller for several minutes while I weighed my choices. I am the cause of numerous Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what could be the hardest choice I've faced in interactive media — and it concerns a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out game, is not really a choice-driven game. At least not in the conventional way. You must explore a vast game world as Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have atrophied his limbs. The slapstick elements of it all arises from players controlling Nate one step at a time, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate requires assistance, but he has trouble voicing that to others. As he progresses, he comes in contact with 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 awkwardly refuses in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route named The Manbreaker. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps provides; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs instead and get to the top in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Lord” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the truth that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Attempting The Challenge could be a instance where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be filled with more humiliating failures. Is it worth suffering just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to choose whether to take assistance or not. The player has no choice in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It should be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt whenever you find a gift horse. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a obstacle instantly. Could the steps an additional deception? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be fooled by a final joke? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one brings about a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as anyone else, consciously choosing a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the dose of confidence that he craves.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs too. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The staircase is not a trick. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide all the way down if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Obstacle. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

Personal Reflection

In my playthrough, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call