Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've dealt with some challenging choices in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section made me pause the game for around ten minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am the cause of numerous Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. None of those moments compare to what possibly is the toughest selection I've faced in a video game — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. At least not in typical gaming terms. You must walk around a vast game world as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that walking through it is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all arises from players controlling Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is given a way out, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you experience no shortage of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Defining Decision

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he finds that he must climb to the top of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian 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 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 game includes; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps instead and reach the summit in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an difficult selection in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Undertaking The Challenge could be a instance where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be paved with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit striving just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can decide to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion anytime you find a gift horse. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a setback on a dime. Is the staircase yet another trap? Could Nate reach at the peak just to be let down by some last-second gag? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Either one brings about a authentic instance of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a chance to prove that he’s as competent as anyone else, consciously choosing a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he craves.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase as well. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no secret drawback waiting for him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, of course, opted for The Challenge. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s exhausted, quietly regretting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

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