The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Impactful Decisions I've Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've dealt with some challenging choices in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section prompted me to pause the game for several minutes while I weighed my options. I am accountable for countless Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. None of those moments hold a candle to what now might be the most difficult decision I've ever made in a video game — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. At least not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to explore a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s no situation that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a difficulty, as years spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all arises from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating 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 help him out. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he clumsily declines in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an inescapable pit and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he can manage alone and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of selection. As Nate nears the end his quest, he finds that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) shows up to tell him that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail called The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps includes; attempting it appears unwise to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs instead and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is revolves around the truth that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth struggling just to demonstrate something?

The steps, on the contrary, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in if they reject navigation help, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and opt for the steps. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt whenever you encounter an easy option. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a obstacle instantly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he ready to be diminished another time by being forced to call a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path brings about a real situation of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as competent as others, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the steps too. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he does, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall to the bottom if he falls. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, of course, chosen to take The Challenge. He tries to play it cool, but you can discern that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

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