Baby Steps Features Among the Most Meaningful Choices I've Ever Experienced in a Game

I've encountered some challenging decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence led me to pause the game for around ten minutes while I considered my choices. I am responsible for countless Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what possibly is the hardest choice I've ever made in gaming — and it concerns a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out game, is not really a choice-driven game. Certainly not in the conventional way. You only need to navigate a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all comes from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to help him out. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, 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) appears to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path named The Manbreaker. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game includes; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase as an alternative and arrive at the peak in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere 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 coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is centered around the fact that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth striving just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can decide to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid each time you encounter an easy option. The environment includes design traps that change a secure way into a obstacle suddenly. Are the stairs one more trick? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished once again by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path brings about a genuine moment of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as competent as others, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no shame in the stairs as well. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to take support. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide completely down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, of course, selected The Challenge. He tries to play it cool, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, addressing his new Master, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Experience

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