The Game Baby Steps Features Among the Most Impactful Choices I've Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've faced some challenging choices in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments led me to pause the game for several minutes while I thought through my alternatives. I am accountable for so many Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what could be the hardest choice I’ve had to make in interactive media — and it concerns a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out, is hardly a choice-driven game. At least not in the conventional way. You simply have to walk around a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that walking through it is a struggle, as years spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all stems from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A self-assured trekker tries to give Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an trapping cavity 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. Throughout the story, you experience no shortage of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) appears to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail named The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game includes; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can merely climb a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and reach the summit in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in context. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the truth that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Attempting The Obstacle could be a instance where he can show that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that route is sure to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth suffering just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to choose whether to take assistance or not. The player has no choice in if they decline guidance, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It should be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid whenever you encounter an easy option. The game world contains planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a difficulty suddenly. Is the staircase yet another trap? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be fooled by an ending prank? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated another time by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path brings about a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as competent as others, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no disgrace in the stairs as well. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip to the bottom if he falls. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, of course, selected The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s worn out, quietly regretting 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 bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

My Experience

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