Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've faced some challenging choices in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence made me put my controller down for several minutes while I considered my choices. I am the cause of so many Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances measure up to what could be the most difficult decision I've ever made in interactive media — and it concerns a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out, is hardly a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You simply have to walk around a sprawling open world as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

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 navigating this world is a struggle, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all arises from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. As he progresses, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to help him out. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls 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 confined in the cavity. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he discovers that he must ascend of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path called The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps includes; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs instead and get to the top in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Whenever he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a moment where he can show that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be laden with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit striving just to demonstrate something?

The steps, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in about they turn away a map, but they can choose to provide Nate with respite and opt for the steps. It might seem like an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt anytime you see a simple solution. The game world contains planned obstacles that change a secure way into a obstacle suddenly. Could the steps one more trick? Could Nate reach at the peak just to be fooled by a final joke? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Both options results in a genuine moment of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as competent as anyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the stairs as well. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback 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 straightforward ascent after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, of course, selected The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s worn out, quietly regretting 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 bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

Personal Reflection

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