The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Encountered in a Game

I've faced some hard choices in interactive entertainment. Several of my selections in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence led me to put my controller down for around ten minutes while I considered my choices. I am responsible for so many Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. None of those moments measure up to what possibly is the toughest selection I've ever made in interactive media — and it concerns a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. At least not in typical gaming terms. You must explore a expansive environment as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its surprisingly deep narrative that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like a key selection that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is transported from his family's basement and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that moving around in it is a difficulty, as years spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The physical comedy of it all comes from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to others. As he progresses, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an inescapable pit 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. As the plot unfolds, you experience no shortage of annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he finds that he must ascend of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route called The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps includes; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and get to the top in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere 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 coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is revolves around the truth that he’s unconfident of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Attempting The Obstacle could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified suffering just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the contrary, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in if they decline guidance, but they can opt to provide Nate with respite and opt for the steps. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt whenever you encounter an easy option. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a difficulty suddenly. Are the stairs an additional deception? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be fooled by an ending prank? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being forced to call an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path brings about a authentic instance of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as competent as others, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the stairs as well. To choose that path is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip completely down if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, naturally, opted for The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, addressing his new Master, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Choice

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call