The Game Baby Steps Features Among the Most Impactful Decisions I Have Ever Faced in Gaming

I've faced some challenging decisions in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments made me pause the game for a good 10 minutes while I considered my choices. I am responsible for countless Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. None of those moments measure up to what now might be the hardest choice I've faced in a video game — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the developers of Ape Out, is not really a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You only need to walk around a vast game world as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like a key selection that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a difficulty, as years spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all arises from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a map, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an inescapable pit and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s key situation of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) shows up to tell him that there are two paths upward. If he’s up for a challenge, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail named The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game has to offer; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs instead and arrive at the peak in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in context. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself reaching a climax in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the truth that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Undertaking The Challenge could be a moment where he can show that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified struggling just to make a statement?

The steps, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can decide to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It might seem like an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt whenever you see a simple solution. The environment includes planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a obstacle suddenly. Are the stairs one more trick? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be disappointed by a final joke? And more troubling, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being compelled to refer to a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options brings about a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as others, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no shame in the steps too. 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 stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s exhausted, quietly regretting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

Personal Reflection

During my game, I selected the steps. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call