Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Faced in Gaming

I've faced some challenging choices in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section made me put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my choices. I am the cause of countless Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. None of those moments measure up to what possibly is the hardest choice 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 developers of Ape Out, is not really a choice-driven game. At least not in the conventional way. You must explore a expansive environment as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps game begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that walking through it is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The physical comedy of it all comes from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual 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 Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he finds that he must climb to the top of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to inform 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 intimidating challenge Baby Steps game has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to any human.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps instead and reach the summit in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself reaching a climax in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the truth that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified struggling just to prove a point?

The staircase, on the contrary, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in about they reject navigation help, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about causing suspicion whenever you find a gift horse. The environment includes design traps that transform an easy path into a obstacle suddenly. Could the steps one more trick? Could Nate reach at the peak just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options leads to a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate eventually obtains a chance to prove that he’s as able as others, consciously choosing a difficult route rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase as well. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no real catch in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip to the bottom if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so nasty. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Experience

During my game, I chose the staircase. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call