The Game Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Faced in a Game

I've faced some difficult decisions in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments made me pause the game for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my choices. I am the cause of numerous Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. None of those moments compare to what could be the most difficult decision I've faced in gaming — and it concerns a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out game, is not really a choice-driven game. At least not in typical gaming terms. You only need to explore a expansive environment as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home 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 physical comedy of it all stems from users guiding Nate gradually, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. During his adventure, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you experience no shortage of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too self-conscious to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps’s key situation of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he finds that he must reach the summit of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route called The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game provides; taking it seems inadvisable to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase in its place and get to the top in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself reaching a climax 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. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Attempting The Obstacle could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely paved with more humiliating failures. Is it justified suffering just to make a statement?

The staircase, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to choose whether to take assistance or not. The user doesn't get to decide in about they turn away a map, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt each time you encounter an easy option. The game world contains design traps that turn a safe route into a setback instantly. Are the stairs yet another trap? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be let down by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he willing to be emasculated yet again by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Both options leads to a genuine moment of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate eventually obtains a chance to prove that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the steps as well. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall completely down if he trips. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, of course, chosen to take The Obstacle. He tries to play it cool, but you can discern that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Experience

During my game, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call