Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Significant Decisions I Have Ever Faced in Video Games

I've faced some hard choices in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section led me to set down my controller for around ten minutes while I considered my options. I am accountable for so many Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what possibly is the most difficult decision I've ever made in interactive media — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out, is not really a decision-focused experience. At least not in the conventional way. You only need to explore a expansive environment as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that exemplifies that strength like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that moving around in it is a challenge, as years spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all arises from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. During his adventure, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to assist him. A self-assured trekker seeks to provide Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s one true moment of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he discovers that he must ascend of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route dubbed The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game provides; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs instead and get to the top in a short time. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the reality that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Taking on The Challenge could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be filled with more humiliating failures. Is it justified struggling just to prove a point?

The staircase, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in if they decline guidance, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid whenever you see a simple solution. The game world contains design traps that transform an easy path into a setback instantly. Is the staircase one more trick? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be fooled by an ending prank? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path leads to a genuine moment of character development and emotional release 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 able as anyone else, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no disgrace in the staircase too. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall to the bottom if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, selected The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Experience

When I played, I chose the staircase. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call