Baby Steps Features One of the Most Significant Decisions I Have Ever Faced in Gaming

I've faced some challenging choices in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments led me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my options. I am the cause of numerous Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what possibly is the most difficult decision I've faced in gaming — and it involves a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out, is hardly a choice-driven game. At least not in any traditional sense. You only need to explore a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will sneak up on you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no situation that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps game starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes that walking through it is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all stems from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to others. During his adventure, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a navigation aid, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he discovers that he must ascend of a snow-capped peak. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route called The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game provides; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs as an alternative and reach the summit in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is revolves around the truth that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a instance where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be laden with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified striving just to make a statement?

The steps, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to either accept or reject help. The player has no choice in if they turn away a map, but they can decide to give Nate a break and take the stairs. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid anytime you find a gift horse. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a setback instantly. Are the stairs yet another trap? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be let down by some last-second gag? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one leads to a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as competent as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than suffering through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps either. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no real catch in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip completely down if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, of course, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call