The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Significant Decisions I've Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've dealt with some difficult choices in interactive entertainment. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments prompted me to put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I considered my options. I am responsible for numerous Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances measure up to what now might be the hardest choice I've faced in interactive media — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out, is not really a selection-based adventure. At least not in typical gaming terms. You only need to walk around a vast game world as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its surprisingly deep narrative that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a struggle, as years spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The slapstick elements of it all comes from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a map, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he finds that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game has to offer; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and arrive at the peak in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an difficult selection in context. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the reality that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Attempting The Obstacle could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that road is bound to be filled with more humiliating failures. Is it worth striving just to make a statement?

The steps, on the contrary, 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 decide to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about making you feel paranoid each time you see a simple solution. The game world contains planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a setback on a dime. Could the steps an additional deception? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be fooled by a final joke? And more troubling, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options results in a authentic instance of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as competent as everyone else, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the stairs as well. To opt for that way is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he does not fall completely down if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so nasty. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Choice

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