Baby Steps Features One of the Most Meaningful Choices I Have Ever Experienced in a Game

I've encountered some difficult decisions in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence made me pause the game for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my options. I am accountable for so many Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances compare to what could be the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in gaming — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out game, is hardly a selection-based adventure. At least not in the conventional way. You simply have to explore a expansive environment as Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It looks like an exercise in frustration, 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 a key selection that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps starts when Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that walking through it is a challenge, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all comes from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is presented with a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he can manage alone and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you experience no shortage of irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps’s key situation of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can take an extremely long and risky path dubbed The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps provides; attempting it appears unwise to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps instead and reach the summit in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is centered around the fact that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Taking on The Obstacle could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified struggling just to demonstrate something?

The steps, 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 opt to give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It should be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about making you feel paranoid each time you encounter an easy option. The environment includes planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a difficulty suddenly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished once again by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Either one brings about a authentic instance of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as competent as anyone else, consciously choosing a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no disgrace in the stairs either. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he does so, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip completely down if he trips. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the hiker who has, naturally, selected The Challenge. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s exhausted, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

My Experience

When I played, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call