The Game Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Faced in Gaming

I've dealt with some hard decisions in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section led me to put my controller down for several minutes while I considered my choices. I am the cause of countless Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. None of those moments compare to what possibly is the most difficult decision I've faced in a video game — and it concerns a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. At least not in the conventional way. You only need to navigate a expansive environment as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a struggle, as a long time spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all arises from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to others. As he progresses, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and truly prefers to be confined in the cavity. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of 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’s one true moment of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he realizes that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and dangerous hiking trail called The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps provides; attempting it appears unwise to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase instead and get to the top in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the fact that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. 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 laden with more humiliating failures. Is it justified suffering just to make a statement?

The staircase, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in about they turn away a map, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt each time you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a setback suddenly. Are the stairs yet another trap? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be disappointed by a final joke? And more concerning, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options results in a real situation of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as others, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs either. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no hidden trick awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he does not fall completely down if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, opted for The Challenge. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

My Choice

During my game, I chose the staircase. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call