Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Impactful Choices I Have Ever Encountered in a Game

I've dealt with some difficult decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments led me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my choices. I am responsible for numerous Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what now might be the most difficult decision I've ever made in gaming — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, is hardly a choice-driven game. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You simply have to navigate a vast game world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that walking through it is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all comes from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. As he progresses, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of selection. As Nate nears the end his adventure, he realizes that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided 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 risky path named The Manbreaker. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps includes; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs in its place and reach the summit in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an difficult selection in the game's narrative. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of everything he’s not. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his unilateral competitor, but that road is bound to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit striving just to make a statement?

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 if they turn away a map, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid anytime you encounter an easy option. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that transform an easy path into a obstacle on a dime. Is the staircase one more trick? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And more troubling, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options results in a authentic instance of character development and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase as well. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, opted for The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

My Experience

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