Baby Steps Features One of the Most Significant Decisions I Have Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've dealt with some challenging decisions in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence prompted me to set down my controller for around ten minutes while I thought through my choices. I am responsible for numerous Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances measure up to what could be the hardest choice I've ever made in interactive media — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You only need to walk around a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on 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.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a struggle, as a long time spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all stems from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. During his adventure, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an unavoidable hole and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he can manage alone and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of selection. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he finds that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps provides; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps instead and reach the summit in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Painful Choice

I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is focused on the fact that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Undertaking The Challenge could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely laden with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth striving just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to choose whether to take assistance or not. The user doesn't get to decide in if they decline guidance, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about making you feel paranoid each time you see a simple solution. The world is filled with planned obstacles that change a secure way into a obstacle suddenly. Is the staircase yet another trap? Could Nate reach at the peak just to be let down by a final joke? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished once again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Either one leads to a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as others, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the stairs too. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he doesn’t slide all the way down if he falls. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the hiker who has, naturally, chosen to take The Obstacle. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

When I played, I selected the steps. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call