Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Significant Choices I Have Ever Faced in Gaming

I've dealt with some difficult choices in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments led me to set down my controller for several minutes while I considered my options. I am responsible for numerous Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. None of those moments measure up to what possibly is the hardest choice I've ever made in interactive media — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out game, is not really a choice-driven game. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You must walk around a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that walking through it is a challenge, as years spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all stems from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A self-assured trekker tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up 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 risky path named The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to any human.

But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs instead and reach the summit in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an agonizing choice in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is revolves around the truth that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be paved with more humiliating failures. Does it merit suffering just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt whenever you encounter an easy option. The environment includes design traps that transform an easy path into a setback suddenly. Are the stairs yet another trap? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be let down by a final joke? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished another time by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Either one brings about a real situation of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as competent as anyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the dose of confidence that he requires.

But there’s no shame in the stairs as well. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, naturally, selected The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

My Experience

When I played, I opted for the stairs. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call