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

I've faced some hard decisions in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section led me to pause the game for around ten minutes while I considered my choices. I am the cause of so many Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances compare to what now might be the toughest selection I've ever made in gaming — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out game, is not really a decision-focused experience. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to explore a vast game world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps game starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that moving around in it is a difficulty, as years spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all arises from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to others. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to assist him. A self-assured trekker tries to give Nate a map, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he discovers that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route called The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps provides; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he takes the easy route.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in the game's narrative. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is revolves around the reality that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a hard reminder of everything he’s not. Attempting The Obstacle could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit suffering just to prove a point?

The staircase, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to choose whether to take assistance or not. The player has no choice in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about causing suspicion anytime you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with design traps that turn a safe route into a setback on a dime. Are the stairs one more trick? Could Nate reach at the peak just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And more troubling, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Both options results in a real situation of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as able as others, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps too. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide completely down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

My Choice

In my playthrough, I selected the steps. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call