Baby Steps Features Among the Most Significant Choices I Have Ever Faced in a Game

I've faced some difficult decisions in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments led me to set down my controller for several minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am the cause of countless Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. None of those moments hold a candle to what could be the hardest choice I've faced in interactive media — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out game, is not really a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in the conventional way. You only need to explore a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a challenge, as years spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all arises from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

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 all offer to help him out. A composed outdoorsman seeks to provide Nate a navigation aid, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is presented with a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of selection. 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) appears to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route named The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps provides; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can merely climb a gigantic spiral staircase in its place and reach the summit in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an agonizing choice in the game's narrative. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is centered around the reality that he’s unconfident of his physique and male identity. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be laden with more humiliating failures. Is it justified struggling just to prove a point?

The stairs, 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 turn away a map, but they can decide to give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid whenever you find a gift horse. The world is filled with planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a obstacle on a dime. Is the staircase yet another trap? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be fooled by a final joke? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being forced to call an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path brings about a genuine moment of character development and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs as well. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he finds that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, of course, selected The Challenge. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

My Choice

When I played, I chose the staircase. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call