The Game Baby Steps Features Among the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've dealt with some difficult decisions in video games. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence prompted me to set down my controller for around ten minutes while I thought through my choices. I am the cause of numerous Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. None of those moments measure up to what could be the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in gaming — and it concerns a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out game, is not really a decision-focused experience. At least not in the conventional way. You must navigate a vast game world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will sneak up on you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no situation that showcases that quality like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that walking through it is a challenge, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all stems from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to others. During his adventure, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who all offer to help him out. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he clumsily declines in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps provides; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps instead and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Painful Choice

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an difficult selection in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is centered around the reality that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a hard reminder of what he fails to be. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely laden with more humiliating failures. Is it worth striving just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the contrary, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The gamer cannot choose in about they decline guidance, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about causing suspicion each time you find a gift horse. The environment includes planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a setback suddenly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be let down by a final joke? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path brings about a real situation of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as others, consciously choosing a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps as well. To opt for that way is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he doesn’t slide completely down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, of course, opted for The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Choice

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