Baby Steps Features Among the Most Impactful Decisions I've Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've dealt with some hard choices in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments made me pause the game for around ten minutes while I thought through my choices. I am responsible for countless Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. None of those moments hold a candle to what could be the hardest choice I've ever made in gaming — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. At least not in any traditional sense. You only need to walk around a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a difficulty, as years spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all arises from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. As he progresses, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s key situation of selection. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he discovers that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can choose a very lengthy and dangerous hiking trail called The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps includes; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps in its place and get to the top in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” 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 this situation. 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 revolves around the truth that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a hard reminder of everything he’s not. Taking on The Challenge could be a instance where he can show that he’s as capable as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely laden with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified striving just to make a statement?

The steps, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in about they reject navigation help, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about causing suspicion each time you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with planned obstacles that change a secure way into a obstacle instantly. Are the stairs yet another trap? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be fooled by a final joke? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished once again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path brings about a real situation of character development and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as capable as others, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he requires.

But there’s no disgrace in the staircase as well. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, opted for The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I selected the steps. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call