The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Impactful Decisions I've Ever Encountered in a Game

I've dealt with some hard choices in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments prompted me to put my controller down for around ten minutes while I weighed my choices. I am responsible for so many Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. None of those moments compare to what could be the hardest choice I’ve had to make in a video game — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out, is hardly a decision-focused experience. At least not in the conventional way. You only need to walk around a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision 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 walking through it is a challenge, as a long time spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all stems from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A self-assured trekker seeks to provide Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure 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 adventure, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can take an extremely long and risky path dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game has to offer; attempting it appears unwise to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs in its place and get to the top in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is focused on the fact that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified suffering just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the other hand, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The gamer cannot choose in about they turn away a map, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid each time you find a gift horse. The game world contains design traps that transform an easy path into a obstacle on a dime. Is the staircase yet another trap? Will Nate get at the peak just to be let down by a final joke? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one brings about a authentic instance of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as capable as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no disgrace in the staircase either. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip completely down if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

During my game, I opted for the stairs. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call