The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Impactful Choices I Have Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've faced some hard choices in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section led me to put my controller down for several minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am the cause of countless Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what now might be the most difficult decision I've faced in interactive media — and it involves a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out game, is hardly a choice-driven game. Certainly not in the conventional way. You must walk around a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can hardly stay upright on his wobbly legs. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a struggle, as a long time spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The slapstick elements of it all arises from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to others. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a guide, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you experience no shortage of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he finds that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route called The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps includes; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs as an alternative and arrive at the peak in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Lord” from now on if he takes the easy route.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is centered around the reality that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth striving just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in about they decline guidance, but they can opt to give Nate a break and take the stairs. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid anytime you see a simple solution. The world is filled with design traps that turn a safe route into a difficulty suddenly. Is the staircase one more trick? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be fooled by an ending prank? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated another time by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options brings about a authentic instance of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Challenge, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the stairs too. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall to the bottom if he trips. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, naturally, chosen to take The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so nasty. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

My Experience

When I played, I opted for the stairs. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call