The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I've Ever Faced in a Game

I've encountered some challenging choices in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments prompted me to pause the game for several minutes while I considered my options. I am responsible for countless Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. None of those moments compare to what possibly is the most difficult decision I've ever made in gaming — and it concerns a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out, is hardly a choice-driven game. Certainly not in the conventional way. You simply have to navigate a vast game world as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, 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 no situation that showcases that quality like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is transported from his family's basement and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that moving around in it is a struggle, as years spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all arises from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you experience no shortage of annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s key situation of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail called The Manbreaker. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps includes; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a second option: He can merely climb a enormous coiled steps in its place and reach the summit in a short time. The only caveat? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself culminating in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be paved with more humiliating failures. Does it merit striving just to make a statement?

The steps, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to choose whether to take assistance or not. The user doesn't get to decide in about they decline guidance, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid each time you see a simple solution. The game world contains planned obstacles that change a secure way into a obstacle instantly. Are the stairs an additional deception? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished once again by being forced to call an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path brings about a genuine moment of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Manbreaker, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as others, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps either. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re simple to climb and he doesn’t slide completely down if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s fatigued, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

My Choice

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