The Game Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Impactful Decisions I Have Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've faced some challenging decisions in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence led me to put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am the cause of countless Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances measure up to what now might be the toughest selection I've faced in a video game — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. At least not in the conventional way. You must walk around a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The slapstick elements of it all stems from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to others. During his adventure, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to assist him. A self-assured trekker seeks to provide Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s key situation of decision. As Nate nears the end his journey, he realizes that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route named The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game has to offer; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs as an alternative and get to the top in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is revolves around the fact that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Undertaking The Challenge could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be laden with more humiliating failures. Is it justified struggling just to prove a point?

The steps, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in if they turn away a map, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid anytime you see a simple solution. The game world contains planned obstacles that change a secure way into a difficulty on a dime. Could the steps one more trick? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be fooled by a final joke? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished once again by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path leads to a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as capable as everyone else, willingly taking on a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the dose of confidence that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase too. To choose that path is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he discovers 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 does not fall all the way down if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Obstacle. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Choice

During my game, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call