The Game Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Significant Choices I Have Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've faced some challenging decisions in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments prompted me to pause the game for around ten minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am accountable for numerous Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what now might be the toughest selection I've ever made in a video game — and it involves a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out, is not really a decision-focused experience. At least not in typical gaming terms. You only need to explore a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It looks like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its surprisingly deep narrative that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all comes from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who all offer to assist him. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you experience no shortage of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of decision. As Nate nears the end his quest, he finds that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail called The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps includes; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs as an alternative and arrive at the peak in a short time. The sole condition? 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 agonizing choice in context. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the truth that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be laden with more humiliating failures. Does it merit struggling just to make a statement?

The staircase, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to choose whether to take assistance or not. The player has no choice in about they decline guidance, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt each time you encounter an easy option. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a obstacle suddenly. Could the steps one more trick? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be fooled by a final joke? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one leads to a genuine moment of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as competent as everyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs as well. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, selected The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call