Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Significant Choices I Have Ever Faced in Gaming

I've dealt with some difficult decisions in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments prompted me to pause the game for several minutes while I weighed my choices. I am the cause of numerous Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances compare to what now might be the toughest selection I've faced in gaming — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out game, is not really a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in the conventional way. You must walk around a sprawling open world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will surprise you when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that showcases that quality like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps game starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all stems from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. As he progresses, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he can manage alone and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps’s key situation of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he realizes that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker 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 take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail named The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game includes; attempting it appears unwise to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase instead and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the reality that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Attempting The Challenge could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit struggling just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in if they reject navigation help, but they can decide to give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid each time you see a simple solution. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a obstacle suddenly. Are the stairs yet another trap? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be let down by an ending prank? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being forced to call an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path results in a authentic instance of personal growth and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as competent as anyone else, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the stairs as well. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip to the bottom if he falls. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, naturally, opted for The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call