The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Significant Choices I Have Ever Encountered in a Game

I've encountered some hard choices in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima ending section prompted me to set down my controller for around ten minutes while I thought through my options. I am responsible for numerous Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances compare to what could be the most difficult decision I've ever made in a video game — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out game, is not really a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You must explore a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that I can’t stop thinking about.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps game starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that walking through it is a difficulty, as years spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all arises from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to other characters. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A self-assured trekker tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is presented with a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he can manage alone and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate nears the end his adventure, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route named The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game includes; attempting it appears unwise to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase instead and arrive at the peak in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an agonizing choice in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the fact that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a time 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 striving just to make a statement?

The staircase, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid each time you encounter an easy option. The environment includes design traps that transform an easy path into a setback instantly. Could the steps one more trick? Might Nate arrive at the peak 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 a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Either one results in a genuine moment of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase as well. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he does, he finds that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The staircase is not a trick. They go on for a long time, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip completely down if he trips. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, of course, chosen to take The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

When I played, I opted for the stairs. Part of me just {wanted to call