Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Impactful Decisions I Have Ever Experienced in a Game

I've dealt with some hard decisions in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments prompted me to pause the game for around ten minutes while I thought through my alternatives. I am accountable for so many Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what now might be the most difficult decision I've ever made in a video game — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You only need to navigate a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It looks like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like a key selection that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a struggle, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have atrophied his limbs. The slapstick elements of it all stems from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to assist him. 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 unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he finds that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) shows up to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route dubbed The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps has to offer; choosing it looks risky to any person.

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 only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in a single ridiculous instant. An element of Nate's story is focused on the reality that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Taking on The Challenge could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely laden with more humiliating failures. Is it justified struggling just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to choose whether to take assistance or not. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion anytime you encounter an easy option. The environment includes design traps that change a secure way into a obstacle instantly. Is the staircase yet another trap? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be fooled by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he ready to be diminished once again by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Either one brings about a authentic instance of personal growth and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as able as anyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase either. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall completely down if he falls. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, of course, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Experience

When I played, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call