The Game Baby Steps Features Among the Most Meaningful Choices I've Ever Experienced in a Game

I've dealt with some hard choices in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section led me to pause the game for around ten minutes while I considered my options. I am accountable for so many Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what could be the toughest selection I’ve had to make in gaming — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out game, is hardly a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You only need to explore a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no situation that showcases that quality like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ 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 slapstick elements of it all comes from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. As he progresses, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you experience no shortage of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route called The Manbreaker. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps includes; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a second option: He can merely climb a enormous coiled steps instead and get to the top in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in context. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself culminating in a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the truth that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Whenever he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Taking on The Obstacle could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified struggling just to make a statement?

The steps, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in if 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 exceptionally cunning about creating doubt anytime you encounter an easy option. The game world contains planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a difficulty instantly. Could the steps an additional deception? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated yet again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path brings about a real situation of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Manbreaker, it’s an personal triumph. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as anyone else, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the steps too. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip to the bottom if he trips. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call