Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Significant Decisions I've Ever Faced in Video Games

I've faced some hard decisions in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence prompted me to pause the game for around ten minutes while I considered my choices. I am the cause of numerous Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what possibly is the toughest selection I've faced in a video game — and it concerns a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out, is not really a choice-driven game. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You simply have to navigate a expansive environment as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like a key selection that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a difficulty, as years spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all comes from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to assist him. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he plunges into an inescapable pit and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

This culminates in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he realizes that he must reach the summit of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path named The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game provides; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and reach the summit in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in context. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself culminating in a single ridiculous instant. An element of Nate's story is revolves around the reality that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Whenever he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of what he fails to be. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth suffering just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to choose whether to take assistance or not. The user doesn't get to decide in if they reject navigation help, but they can opt to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt whenever you encounter an easy option. The game world contains planned obstacles that change a secure way into a difficulty suddenly. Is the staircase one more trick? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be let down by an ending prank? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being forced to call a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path results in a genuine moment of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as others, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase too. To opt for that way is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The steps are not a joke. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip completely down if he falls. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, chosen to take The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, addressing his new Master, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

When I played, I opted for the stairs. Part of me just {wanted to call