The Game Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Impactful Decisions I Have Ever Faced in Gaming

I've dealt with some hard choices in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section prompted me to pause the game for several minutes while I considered my choices. I am responsible for so many Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what now might be the hardest choice I've ever made in interactive media — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the developers of Ape Out game, is not really a choice-driven game. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You only need to explore a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a difficulty, as years spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The slapstick elements of it all stems from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s key situation of selection. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he discovers that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to tell him that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route called The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game includes; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs in its place and reach the summit in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

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 a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Undertaking The Challenge could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that road is bound to be laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth striving just to demonstrate something?

The steps, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in about they turn away a map, but they can opt to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt anytime you see a simple solution. The world is filled with design traps that transform an easy path into a setback on a dime. Is the staircase yet another trap? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be let down by an ending prank? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path leads to a genuine moment of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as competent as others, willingly taking on a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs as well. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he discovers that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall to the bottom if he falls. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, of course, opted for The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

When I played, I opted for the stairs. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call