The Game Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Meaningful Choices I Have Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've faced some challenging choices in interactive entertainment. Several of my selections in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments made me pause the game for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my choices. I am the cause of so many Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. None of those moments measure up to what could be the toughest selection I've ever made in a video game — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You only need to walk around a vast game world as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all arises from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. As he progresses, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Defining Decision

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s key situation of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route named The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs instead and get to the top in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am completely earnest 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 a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the reality that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a time where he can show that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit suffering just to demonstrate something?

The steps, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to choose whether to take assistance or not. The user doesn't get to decide in about they decline guidance, but they can decide to give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt each time you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that transform an easy path into a difficulty instantly. Are the stairs an additional deception? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being forced to call an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path results in a authentic instance of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as others, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the stairs as well. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The staircase is not a trick. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he doesn’t slide to the bottom if he trips. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the hiker who has, of course, selected The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call