The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Impactful Choices I've Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've faced some hard decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section made me set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my alternatives. I am the cause of countless Krogan deaths in Mass Effect 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 has to do with a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out, is hardly a choice-driven game. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You only need to navigate a vast game world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like a key selection that I can’t stop thinking about.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps game begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that walking through it is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all stems from users guiding Nate gradually, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to others. As he progresses, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A self-assured trekker seeks to provide Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an unavoidable hole and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he can manage alone and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s one true moment of choice. As Nate nears the end his quest, he realizes that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker 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 up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail called The Manbreaker. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps includes; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs instead and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the reality that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of everything he’s not. Attempting The Challenge could be a instance where he can show that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be filled with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit suffering just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the contrary, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in about they reject navigation help, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt each time you find a gift horse. The game world contains intentional pitfalls that transform an easy path into a obstacle instantly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get at the peak just to be let down by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path brings about a authentic instance of character development and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you decide to take on The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate eventually obtains a moment to show that he’s as able as others, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps either. To opt for that way is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no hidden trick awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide completely down if he trips. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Challenge. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the arrangement scarcely looks so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

My Experience

During my game, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call