Baby Steps Features Among the Most Impactful Choices I've Ever Faced in a Game

I've encountered some challenging choices in video games. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments led me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my options. I am responsible for numerous Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. None of those moments hold a candle to what possibly is the toughest selection I've faced in gaming — and it concerns a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, is not really a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You must navigate a vast game world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will sneak up on you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no situation that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that I can’t stop thinking about.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The slapstick elements of it all comes from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to others. As he progresses, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s key situation of selection. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he finds that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and dangerous hiking trail called The Manbreaker. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs as an alternative and get to the top in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am very serious 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 particularly bizarre situation. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the fact that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely paved with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit struggling just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion each time you find a gift horse. The world is filled with planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a setback on a dime. Is the staircase an additional deception? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he willing to be emasculated yet again by being compelled to refer to a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path brings about a real situation of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as others, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no disgrace in the stairs as well. To opt for that way is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The staircase is not a trick. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide to the bottom if he trips. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, naturally, opted for The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

During my game, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call