Baby Steps Features Among the Most Meaningful Choices I Have Ever Experienced in a Game

I've faced some challenging decisions in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section led me to pause the game for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am responsible for so many Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. None of those moments hold a candle to what possibly is the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in a video game — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out, is hardly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in the conventional way. You only need to explore a sprawling open world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can hardly stay upright on his wobbly legs. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will sneak up on you when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like a key selection that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps starts when Nate is transported from his family's basement and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all stems from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. As he progresses, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to help him out. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is presented with a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he can manage alone and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s key situation of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he finds that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. 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 prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path named The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game provides; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase in its place and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in a single ridiculous instant. An element of Nate's story is revolves around the fact that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Taking on The Challenge could be a instance where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth striving just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in about they decline guidance, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion each time you see a simple solution. The game world contains planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a difficulty instantly. Are the stairs yet another trap? Will Nate get at the peak just to be fooled by a final joke? And more troubling, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options leads to a real situation of personal growth and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as anyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs either. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he does so, he discovers that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip all the way down if he falls. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

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