Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Significant Choices I Have Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've encountered some challenging decisions in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section made me put my controller down for several minutes while I considered my options. I am responsible for so many Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances measure up to what now might be the hardest choice I've ever made in gaming — and it involves a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, is hardly a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You only need to walk around a expansive environment as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that showcases that quality like a key selection that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a difficulty, as years spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The slapstick elements of it all arises from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to help him out. A self-assured trekker seeks to provide Nate a navigation aid, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he plunges into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers 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 not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s key situation of selection. As Nate nears the end his quest, he realizes that he must reach the summit of a frosty elevation. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail named The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game includes; taking it seems inadvisable to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and get to the top in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself reaching a climax in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Whenever he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Attempting The Obstacle could be a time where he can prove that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that route is sure to be paved with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth struggling just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to choose whether to take assistance or not. The user doesn't get to decide in if they decline guidance, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid whenever you see a simple solution. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a difficulty instantly. Is the staircase yet another trap? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be disappointed by a final joke? And more concerning, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being compelled to refer to a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options leads to a real situation of personal growth and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate eventually obtains a chance to prove that he’s as competent as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps as well. To choose that path is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no secret drawback waiting for him. The staircase is not a trick. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip all the way down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, of course, opted for The Obstacle. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. Part of me just {wanted to call