Baby Steps Features One of the Most Significant Decisions I've Ever Encountered in a Game

I've faced some hard decisions in interactive entertainment. Several of my selections in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence prompted me to put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am the cause of so many Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what possibly is the toughest selection I’ve had to make in gaming — and it concerns a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to explore a expansive environment as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a challenge, as years spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The physical comedy of it all comes from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. During his adventure, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A composed outdoorsman seeks to provide Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is given a way out, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and truly prefers to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too self-conscious to take support.

The Pivotal Moment

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he realizes that he must reach the summit of a frosty elevation. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) shows up 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 dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can merely climb a enormous coiled steps in its place and reach the summit in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he takes the easy route.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere 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. An element of Nate's story is centered around the reality that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Undertaking The Challenge could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that route is sure to be filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth striving just to demonstrate something?

The steps, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion each time you find a gift horse. The environment includes planned obstacles that change a secure way into a difficulty suddenly. Are the stairs yet another trap? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be fooled by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he ready to be diminished another time by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options brings about a genuine moment of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as others, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than suffering through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he craves.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase too. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, opted for The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

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