The Game Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Meaningful Choices I've Ever Faced in a Game

I've dealt with some hard choices in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence made me pause the game for several minutes while I weighed my options. I am responsible for so many Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances measure up to what now might be the most difficult decision I've faced in gaming — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a choice-driven game. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You must navigate a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that walking through it is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The physical comedy of it all stems from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to help him out. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate nears the end his journey, he finds that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail named The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase instead and arrive at the peak in a short time. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

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 culminating in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is centered around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a hard reminder of everything he’s not. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be filled with more humiliating failures. Is it justified struggling just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to either accept or reject help. The player has no choice in if they turn away a map, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt whenever you encounter an easy option. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a obstacle on a dime. Are the stairs yet another trap? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be disappointed by a final joke? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path leads to a authentic instance of character development and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as competent as others, willingly taking on a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he requires.

But there’s no shame in the stairs either. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no real catch in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide to the bottom if he trips. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, opted for The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

In my playthrough, I chose the staircase. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call