The Game Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've faced some challenging choices in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments made me pause the game for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my alternatives. I am the cause of countless Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. None of those moments measure up to what now might be the most difficult decision I've ever made in gaming — and it concerns a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out game, is not really a decision-focused experience. At least not in any traditional sense. You simply have to navigate a vast game world as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no situation that exemplifies that strength like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps game begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that moving around in it is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all comes from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to other characters. During his adventure, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A self-assured trekker seeks to provide Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate nears the end his journey, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps provides; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs in its place and get to the top in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

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 single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a time where he can prove that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be filled with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit striving just to make a statement?

The staircase, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in if they reject navigation help, but they can choose to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt each time you see a simple solution. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a setback instantly. Is the staircase one more trick? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be fooled by a final joke? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being forced to call an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Either one leads to a real situation of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as competent as everyone else, consciously choosing a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the stairs as well. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick awaiting him. The staircase is not a trick. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall to the bottom if he trips. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, naturally, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the arrangement scarcely looks so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call