The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Faced in Gaming

I've encountered some difficult choices in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section made me pause the game for several minutes while I weighed my choices. I am accountable for numerous Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. None of those moments measure up to what now might be the toughest selection I’ve had to make in interactive media — and it involves a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out, is hardly a decision-focused experience. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You must walk around a expansive environment as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is transported from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all comes from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. As he progresses, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to assist him. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s key situation of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he realizes that he must reach the summit of a frosty elevation. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route called The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps includes; attempting it appears unwise to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and arrive at the peak in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an difficult selection in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the reality that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Taking on The Challenge could be a time where he can prove that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be paved with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified suffering 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 about they decline guidance, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about causing suspicion each time you find a gift horse. The game world contains intentional pitfalls that transform an easy path into a setback on a dime. Could the steps an additional deception? Could Nate reach at the peak just to be let down by a final joke? And more concerning, is he willing to be emasculated yet again by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Either one brings about a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you decide to take on The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as competent as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps either. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no real catch in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall completely down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

Personal Reflection

When I played, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call