The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Significant Decisions I've Ever Encountered in a Game

I've faced some challenging choices in video games. Certain choices I made 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 thought through my alternatives. I am responsible for numerous Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations compare to what could be the toughest selection I’ve had to make in a video game — and it involves a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the developers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to explore a vast game world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that moving around in it is a challenge, as a long time spent as a sedentary person have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all comes from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. 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 seeks to provide Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. During the narrative, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he realizes that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) appears to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game provides; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps instead and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Lord” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere 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 one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the fact that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Attempting The Challenge could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit suffering just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in if they turn away a map, but they can opt to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It might seem like an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt whenever you find a gift horse. The world is filled with design traps that change a secure way into a obstacle on a dime. Are the stairs an additional deception? Will Nate get at the peak just to be let down by a final joke? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished once again by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options brings about a real situation of protagonist evolution and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Manbreaker, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as capable as others, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no disgrace in the staircase too. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no real catch in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They go on for a long time, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall to the bottom if he falls. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, of course, chosen to take The Challenge. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s exhausted, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

Personal Reflection

When I played, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call