The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Significant Decisions I've Ever Faced in Gaming

I've dealt with some challenging choices in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments made me pause the game for a good 10 minutes while I considered my choices. I am accountable for numerous Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. None of those moments compare to what now might be the toughest selection I’ve had to make in interactive media — and it concerns a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out, is not really a choice-driven game. At least not in any traditional sense. You only need to navigate a vast game world as the protagonist 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’s appeal is in 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 a key selection that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a struggle, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all comes from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an inescapable pit and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and truly prefers to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s key situation of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path named The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps provides; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can merely climb a enormous coiled steps in its place and reach the summit in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the fact that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Taking on The Challenge could be a instance where he can show that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be paved with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit struggling just to prove a point?

The steps, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and opt for the steps. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about creating doubt anytime you see a simple solution. The world is filled with planned obstacles that change a secure way into a setback on a dime. Could the steps an additional deception? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be fooled by an ending prank? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being forced to call a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path leads to a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as capable as everyone else, consciously choosing a difficult route rather than suffering through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s difficult, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the staircase either. To opt for that way is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip all the way down if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

My Choice

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