The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Significant Choices I Have Ever Faced in a Game

I've dealt with some challenging choices in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section made me pause the game for around ten minutes while I thought through my choices. I am the cause of so many Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what could be the toughest selection I've faced in gaming — and it concerns a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, is hardly a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You only need to navigate a vast game world as Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a challenge, as a long time spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all arises from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to help him out. A composed outdoorsman seeks to provide Nate a guide, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he finds that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail called The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps provides; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase in its place and reach the summit in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the reality that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Undertaking The Challenge could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as capable as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely paved with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth suffering just to prove a point?

The steps, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in about they turn away a map, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt each time you encounter an easy option. The game world contains design traps that transform an easy path into a setback instantly. Is the staircase yet another trap? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be fooled by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he willing to be emasculated yet again by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path results in a real situation of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the staircase too. To choose that path is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, naturally, opted for The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Experience

During my game, I opted for the stairs. Part of me just {wanted to call