The Game Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Impactful Decisions I've Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've faced some hard decisions in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section prompted me to put my controller down for around ten minutes while I considered my options. I am the cause of so many Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. None of those moments measure up to what could be the toughest selection I've faced in a video game — and it involves a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out, is not really a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in the conventional way. You simply have to explore a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a difficulty, as years spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all arises from users guiding 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 comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s key situation of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he discovers that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and dangerous hiking trail called The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game includes; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase instead and get to the top in just moments. The sole condition? 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 difficult selection in context. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. An element of Nate's story is focused on the fact that he’s unconfident of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a time where he can show that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely filled with more humiliating failures. Is it justified suffering just to make a statement?

The staircase, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can opt 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 anytime you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a obstacle on a dime. Are the stairs one more trick? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being forced to call a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Either one brings about a authentic instance of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, 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 difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps either. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re simple to climb and he doesn’t slide completely down if he falls. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, of course, selected The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

Personal Reflection

During my game, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call