Baby Steps Features Among the Most Impactful Choices I Have Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've encountered some difficult choices in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence prompted me to pause the game for several minutes while I thought through my alternatives. I am the cause of numerous Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. None of those moments hold a candle to what could be the most difficult decision I've ever made in a video game — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out, is hardly a decision-focused experience. At least not in the conventional way. You only need to explore a expansive environment as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a challenge, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all comes from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to assist him. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is given a way out, he tries to play it off like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to take support.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of decision. As Nate nears the end his adventure, he discovers that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can choose a very lengthy and dangerous hiking trail called The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps provides; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps instead and reach the summit in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere 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 a single ridiculous instant. An element of Nate's story is centered around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Taking on The Challenge could be a instance where he can show that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely paved with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth striving just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The gamer cannot choose in about they decline guidance, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt each time you find a gift horse. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a difficulty instantly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be let down by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he willing to be emasculated yet again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path results in a real situation of protagonist evolution and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as others, consciously choosing a difficult route rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no disgrace in the staircase as well. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no secret drawback awaiting 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 easy journey after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, of course, selected The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

My Choice

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