The Game Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Impactful Choices I Have Ever Faced in a Game

I've encountered some difficult decisions in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments led me to set down my controller for around ten minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am the cause of countless Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances compare to what possibly is the most difficult decision I've faced in a video game — and it concerns a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, is hardly a decision-focused experience. At least not in the conventional way. You only need to walk around a sprawling open world as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes that moving around in it is a challenge, as a long time spent as a sedentary person have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all stems from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters 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 guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he drops 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 stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of decision. As Nate nears the end his adventure, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route named The Manbreaker. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to any human.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps in its place and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is centered around the truth that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Taking on The Obstacle could be a time where he can show that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be laden with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit suffering just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can opt to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid each time you find a gift horse. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a difficulty instantly. Are the stairs yet another trap? Could Nate reach at the peak just to be let down by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The excellence of that situation 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 decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as anyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the staircase either. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback waiting for him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip completely down if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, of course, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, addressing his new Master, the arrangement scarcely looks so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Experience

When I played, I opted for the stairs. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call