Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've faced some hard decisions in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence prompted me to set down my controller for around ten minutes while I weighed my choices. I am the cause of numerous Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances compare to what now might be the toughest selection I've ever made in interactive media — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out game, is hardly a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You must navigate a vast game world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like a key selection that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a struggle, as a long time spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all comes from players controlling Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. During his adventure, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to help him out. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. 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 confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s key situation of choice. As Nate nears the end his quest, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. 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 prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route called The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game includes; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase in its place and get to the top in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. 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 focused on the reality that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely filled with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified striving just to make a statement?

The staircase, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can choose to give Nate a break and take the stairs. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid anytime you find a gift horse. The environment includes planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a setback instantly. Is the staircase one more trick? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be let down by a final joke? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated yet again by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options brings about a authentic instance of personal growth and catharsis 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 capable as others, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no disgrace in the staircase either. To opt for that way is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no hidden trick awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip all the way down if he falls. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, of course, opted for The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, addressing his new Master, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

My Choice

When I played, I opted for the stairs. Part of me just {wanted to call