The Game Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Faced in Gaming

I've faced some difficult decisions in interactive entertainment. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section led me to pause the game for around ten minutes while I considered my options. I am responsible for numerous Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. None of those moments measure up to what now might be the toughest selection I've ever made in interactive media — and it concerns a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a choice-driven game. At least not in typical gaming terms. You only need to walk around a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will surprise you when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that walking through it is a challenge, as years spent as a sedentary person have deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all arises from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to others. As he progresses, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to assist him. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you experience no shortage of frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he realizes that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long and risky path named The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game includes; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps instead and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in the game's narrative. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth suffering just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the contrary, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in about they turn away a map, but they can choose to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt whenever you encounter an easy option. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a setback instantly. Could the steps one more trick? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be let down by a final joke? And more troubling, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options results in a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as others, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s difficult, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no disgrace in the staircase too. To opt for that way is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no hidden trick 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 easy journey after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, of course, opted for The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s fatigued, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

Personal Reflection

During my game, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call