The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Significant Choices I Have Ever Encountered in a Game

I've dealt with some challenging choices in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments made me set down my controller for around ten minutes while I thought through my choices. I am accountable for numerous Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what now might be the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in a video game — and it concerns a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the developers of Ape Out game, is hardly a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to navigate a vast game world as 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 unexpectedly meaningful plot that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s no situation that showcases that quality like a key selection that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a challenge, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all comes from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. Throughout his hero’s journey, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to assist him. A composed outdoorsman seeks to provide Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he plunges into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too self-conscious to take support.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s one true moment of decision. As Nate nears the end his quest, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game includes; taking it seems inadvisable to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs in its place and reach the summit in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the reality that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can show that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be laden with more humiliating failures. Is it worth suffering just to make a statement?

The steps, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in if they reject navigation help, but they can choose to give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about causing suspicion each time you encounter an easy option. The game world contains intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a obstacle on a dime. Are the stairs one more trick? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And more troubling, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path results in a genuine moment of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate eventually obtains a moment to show that he’s as capable as others, consciously choosing a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no disgrace in the staircase as well. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he does not fall to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, naturally, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, quietly regretting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

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