The Game Baby Steps Features Among the Most Meaningful Decisions I've Ever Faced in a Game

I've faced some hard choices in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence made me put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my options. I am the cause of so many Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations compare to what could be the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in interactive media — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to explore a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all stems from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to assist him. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you experience no shortage of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he discovers that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to tell him that there are two paths upward. If he’s up for a challenge, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail named The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps provides; taking it seems inadvisable to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs as an alternative and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the reality that he’s unconfident of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a time where he can prove that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be laden with more humiliating failures. Is it worth struggling just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in about they decline guidance, but they can opt to provide Nate with respite and opt for the steps. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about causing suspicion anytime you find a gift horse. The world is filled with planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a difficulty suddenly. Are the stairs one more trick? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path leads to a real situation of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as capable as everyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the staircase too. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no secret drawback waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall all the way down if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, of course, selected The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the deal hardly seems so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

In my playthrough, I chose the staircase. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call