Baby Steps Features Among the Most Significant Choices I Have Ever Encountered in a Game

I've encountered some hard decisions in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima ending section led me to put my controller down for around ten minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am the cause of numerous Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. None of those moments measure up to what possibly is the most difficult decision I've ever made in a video game — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out, is hardly a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You simply have to walk around a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps game starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that moving around in it is a struggle, as years spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The physical comedy of it all arises from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A composed outdoorsman seeks to provide Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he plunges into an unavoidable hole and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he realizes that he must ascend of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) appears to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and dangerous hiking trail called The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps has to offer; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can merely climb a gigantic spiral staircase as an alternative and get to the top in a short time. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an difficult selection in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the reality that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Taking on The Obstacle could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth struggling just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It might seem like an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt each time you see a simple solution. The world is filled with planned obstacles that change a secure way into a obstacle suddenly. Are the stairs one more trick? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be disappointed by a final joke? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being forced to call an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options results in a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as anyone else, consciously choosing a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the dose of confidence that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the stairs too. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he does, he finds that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he doesn’t slide completely down if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

My Choice

In my playthrough, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call