The Game Baby Steps Features Among the Most Impactful Choices I've Ever Faced in Video Games

I've faced some challenging decisions in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section made me put my controller down for around ten minutes while I thought through my options. I am accountable for numerous Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances compare to what could be the most difficult decision I've ever made in a video game — and it concerns a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out game, is not really a choice-driven game. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You must navigate a vast game world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that walking through it is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all arises from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. During his adventure, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman seeks to provide Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he finds that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) appears to tell him that there are two paths upward. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and risky path called The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps has to offer; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase as an alternative and get to the top in a short time. The only caveat? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

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 reaching a climax in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the truth that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of what he fails to be. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can show that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that route is sure to be laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified striving just to prove a point?

The steps, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The gamer cannot choose in about they decline guidance, but they can opt to give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid each time you encounter an easy option. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that transform an easy path into a setback instantly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be let down by some last-second gag? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished once again by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Both options results in a genuine moment of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate eventually obtains a moment to show that he’s as able as anyone else, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps too. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he does, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback awaiting 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 stumbles. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, naturally, selected The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

Personal Reflection

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