The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Meaningful Choices I Have Ever Faced in Gaming

I've encountered some challenging choices in video games. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence led me to set down my controller for several minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am the cause of numerous Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. None of those moments measure up to what possibly is the hardest choice I've faced in a video game — and it involves a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out, is not really a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in the conventional way. You only need to walk around a expansive environment as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps starts when Nate is transported from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a challenge, as years spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The physical comedy of it all comes from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who all offer to assist him. A self-assured trekker seeks to provide Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is given a way out, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you experience no shortage of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s one true moment of selection. As Nate nears the end his quest, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps has to offer; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs as an alternative and get to the top in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Lord” 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 this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the truth that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can show that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified striving just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can choose to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid whenever you find a gift horse. The world is filled with design traps that turn a safe route into a obstacle on a dime. Could the steps one more trick? Will Nate get at the peak just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished once again by being compelled to refer to a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Either one results in a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as capable as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps too. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip all the way down if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the hiker who has, of course, opted for The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

My Choice

During my game, I chose the staircase. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call