Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Impactful Choices I Have Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've faced some hard decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence prompted me to pause the game for several minutes while I thought through my choices. I am accountable for numerous Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations compare to what could be the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in a video game — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out game, is hardly a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in the conventional way. You must navigate a expansive environment as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that showcases that quality like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps game begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all comes from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. As he progresses, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to assist him. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate nears the end his quest, he finds that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and dangerous hiking trail named The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps instead and arrive at the peak in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in context. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the truth that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Whenever he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely paved with more humiliating failures. Does it merit striving just to prove a point?

The steps, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The player has no choice in if they decline guidance, but they can choose to give Nate a break and take the stairs. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about causing suspicion anytime you find a gift horse. The game world contains design traps that transform an easy path into a difficulty instantly. Could the steps an additional deception? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be fooled by a final joke? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being compelled to refer to a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Either one leads to a authentic instance of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the staircase as well. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The staircase is not a trick. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip to the bottom if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

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