The Game Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've encountered some hard decisions in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence made me set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my choices. I am accountable for countless Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what now might be the hardest choice I've faced in a video game — and it involves a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out game, is hardly a choice-driven game. At least not in typical gaming terms. You must explore a vast game world as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all stems from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. As he progresses, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to assist him. A self-assured trekker tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he plunges into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate nears the end his journey, he finds that he must ascend of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route called The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps includes; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps instead and get to the top in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is focused on the truth that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can demonstrate 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 prove a point?

The staircase, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to choose whether to take assistance or not. The player has no choice in about they reject navigation help, but they can decide to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about causing suspicion whenever you see a simple solution. The game world contains planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a obstacle on a dime. Are the stairs yet another trap? Could Nate reach at the peak just to be let down by an ending prank? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

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 emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a chance to prove that he’s as capable as anyone else, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the stairs too. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip all the way down if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, of course, chosen to take The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

In my playthrough, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call