The Game Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Impactful Decisions I Have Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've faced some difficult decisions in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence prompted me to put my controller down for several minutes while I thought through my choices. I am the cause of so many Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what possibly is the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in a video game — and it involves a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out, is not really a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You must explore a vast game world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like a key selection that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that moving around in it is a struggle, as years spent as a inactive individual have atrophied his limbs. The slapstick elements of it all stems from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to help him out. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he plunges into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you experience no shortage of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, 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 inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and risky path called The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game includes; attempting it appears unwise to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and get to the top in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “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 difficult selection in this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself reaching a climax in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is focused on the truth that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Taking on The Challenge could be a instance where he can show that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified striving just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The player has no choice in if they decline guidance, but they can choose to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It should be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about causing suspicion each time you encounter an easy option. The game world contains planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a setback instantly. Are the stairs yet another trap? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And more troubling, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Either one results in a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a moment to show that he’s as competent as others, willingly taking on a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the staircase as well. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to take support. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no real catch in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he does not fall all the way down if he falls. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, of course, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

Personal Reflection

During my game, I opted for the stairs. Part of me just {wanted to call