Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Significant Decisions I've Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've encountered some hard decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments led me to put my controller down for around ten minutes while I weighed my choices. I am the cause of numerous Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what now might be the most difficult decision I've ever made in a video game — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out game, is hardly a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You must walk around a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its surprisingly deep narrative that will surprise you when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like a key selection that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps game begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all stems from players controlling Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to assist him. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a navigation aid, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he finds that he must reach the summit of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail called The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps includes; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase in its place and get to the top in a short time. The only caveat? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in the game's narrative. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is revolves around the fact that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a time where he can show that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely laden with more humiliating failures. Is it justified striving just to make a statement?

The staircase, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can opt to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid each time you encounter an easy option. The game world contains planned obstacles that change a secure way into a setback suddenly. Could the steps an additional deception? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be fooled by a final joke? And more troubling, is he ready to be diminished once again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path results in a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as able as anyone else, willingly taking on a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no shame in the staircase too. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The staircase is not a trick. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall all the way down if he trips. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, of course, selected The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

My Choice

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