Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Significant Decisions I Have Ever Faced in Gaming

I've encountered some hard choices in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima ending section led me to pause the game for several minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am the cause of so many Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances measure up to what possibly is the hardest choice I've faced in interactive media — and it involves a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out, is not really a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You only need to explore a expansive environment as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story 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 can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that walking through it is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all comes from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. As he progresses, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you experience no shortage of frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s key situation of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail named The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps has to offer; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs in its place and get to the top in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the fact that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Whenever he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a hard reminder of everything he’s not. Undertaking The Challenge could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be paved with more humiliating failures. Does it merit suffering just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to choose whether to take assistance or not. The user doesn't get to decide in about they decline guidance, but they can choose to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about making you feel paranoid whenever you see a simple solution. The game world contains design traps that transform an easy path into a setback instantly. Could the steps an additional deception? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he prepared to be humiliated another time by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options results in a genuine moment of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as able as anyone else, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the steps as well. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip completely down if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s fatigued, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Choice

During my game, I chose the staircase. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call