The Game Baby Steps Features Among the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've faced some challenging choices in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence prompted me to set down my controller for several minutes while I weighed my options. I am accountable for numerous Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. None of those moments measure up to what could be the toughest selection I’ve had to make in a video game — and it involves a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out game, is hardly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in the conventional way. You only need to walk around a sprawling open world as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that moving around in it is a challenge, as years spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all comes from players controlling Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. As he progresses, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to assist him. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he finds that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) appears to tell him that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path called The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can merely climb a enormous coiled steps 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 takes the easy route.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is centered around the truth that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Whenever he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Undertaking The Challenge could be a instance where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely laden with more humiliating failures. Does it merit struggling just to demonstrate something?

The steps, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in if they reject navigation help, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid each time you encounter an easy option. The game world contains intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a obstacle instantly. Is the staircase one more trick? Will Nate get at the peak just to be fooled by an ending prank? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished 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 right or wrong answer. Either one results in a genuine moment of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as competent as anyone else, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps too. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he finds 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 all the way down if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

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