Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Meaningful Choices I Have Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've dealt with some hard choices in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments made me pause the game for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my choices. I am the cause of countless Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances measure up to what now might be the hardest choice I’ve had to make in a video game — and it concerns a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out, is hardly a choice-driven game. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You must explore a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a challenge, as years spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all stems from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A self-assured trekker tries to give Nate a guide, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you experience no shortage of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate nears the end his quest, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route named The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps includes; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase in its place and get to the top in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is focused on the truth that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Whenever he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified struggling 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 whether or not they turn away a map, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt each time you find a gift horse. The game world contains design traps that transform an easy path into a difficulty instantly. Is the staircase one more trick? Could Nate reach at the peak just to be disappointed by a final joke? And more troubling, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being forced to call a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options results in a authentic instance of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as others, consciously choosing a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and maybe ill-advised, 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 take support. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he doesn’t slide completely down if he trips. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, naturally, opted for The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak 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

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