The Game Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Significant Decisions I've Ever Faced in a Game

I've dealt with some hard choices in interactive entertainment. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence led me to put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I considered my options. I am accountable for countless Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what now might be the hardest choice I've faced in a video game — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, is not really a selection-based adventure. At least not in any traditional sense. You only need to explore a sprawling open world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a challenge, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all comes from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to help him out. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an inescapable pit and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps’s one true moment of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long and risky path dubbed The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps has to offer; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase instead and arrive at the peak in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in context. 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 truth that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be filled with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit striving just to prove a point?

The steps, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in about they decline guidance, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid each time you find a gift horse. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a difficulty suddenly. Could the steps one more trick? Could Nate reach at the peak just to be let down by some last-second gag? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being forced to call a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options leads to a authentic instance 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 opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as others, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the steps either. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no secret drawback waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall completely down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

When I played, I opted for the stairs. Part of me just {wanted to call