Baby Steps Features Among the Most Significant Decisions I Have Ever Faced in a Game

I've encountered some hard decisions in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence led me to set down my controller for several minutes while I considered my choices. I am responsible for so many Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what now might be the toughest selection I've ever made in a video game — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out game, is hardly a selection-based adventure. At least not in any traditional sense. You simply have to walk around a vast game world as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will sneak up on 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.

Spoiler Warning

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps starts when Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a challenge, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all arises from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. During his adventure, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he plunges into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s key situation of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he finds that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to tell him that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route called The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps includes; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs in its place and reach the summit in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the fact that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Whenever he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely laden with more humiliating failures. Does it merit suffering just to make a statement?

The steps, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in about they reject navigation help, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt anytime you find a gift horse. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a obstacle instantly. Is the staircase yet another trap? 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 yet again by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path leads to a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as others, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no shame in the staircase too. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he realizes that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The staircase is not a trick. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall to the bottom if he falls. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

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