The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Experienced in a Game

I've encountered some challenging choices in interactive entertainment. 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 around ten minutes while I thought through my options. I am the cause of numerous Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what possibly is the hardest choice I’ve had to make in gaming — and it concerns a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a choice-driven game. At least not in typical gaming terms. You must navigate a expansive environment as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a challenge, as years spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all comes from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to other characters. Throughout his hero’s journey, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to assist him. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you experience no shortage of irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a snow-capped peak. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route named The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps provides; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps in its place and reach the summit in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself culminating in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the truth that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth suffering just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in if they decline guidance, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about making you feel paranoid each time you find a gift horse. The world is filled with planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a obstacle instantly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get at the peak just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished another time by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options brings about a genuine moment of personal growth and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate eventually obtains a moment to show that he’s as capable as anyone else, consciously choosing a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs either. To choose that path is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he doesn’t slide to the bottom if he trips. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, of course, selected The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

In my playthrough, I selected the steps. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call