Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Impactful Choices I Have Ever Experienced in a Game

I've dealt with some difficult decisions in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence led me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my options. I am accountable for numerous Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances measure up to what could be the hardest choice I've faced in a video game — and it involves a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the developers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. At least not in the conventional way. You simply have to navigate a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will sneak up on you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Spoiler Warning

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all comes from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who everyone tries to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of choice. As Nate nears the end his adventure, 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) comes to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and dangerous hiking trail named The Manbreaker. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game includes; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs as an alternative and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an difficult selection in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is focused on the truth that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Attempting The Obstacle could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be paved with more humiliating failures. Does it merit striving just to make a statement?

The steps, on the other hand, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt anytime you see a simple solution. The world is filled with planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a difficulty instantly. Are the stairs one more trick? Will Nate get at the peak just to be let down by a final joke? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated yet again by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one results in a authentic instance of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as others, consciously choosing a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no disgrace in the staircase too. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he does not fall all the way down if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

My Experience

During my game, I chose the staircase. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call