The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Experienced in a Game

I've dealt with some hard choices in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence prompted me to pause the game for several minutes while I thought through my choices. I am responsible for numerous Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. None of those moments hold a candle to what could be the hardest choice I've faced in a video game — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out game, is hardly a choice-driven game. At least not in the conventional way. You only need to walk around a vast game world as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps game begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all comes from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to other characters. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s one true moment of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he finds that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game provides; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase instead and get to the top in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the truth that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Taking on The Challenge could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be laden with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified striving just to prove a point?

The steps, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in about they turn away a map, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt whenever you see a simple solution. The game world contains design traps that change a secure way into a difficulty suddenly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be disappointed by a final joke? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being forced to call a strange individual as Master?

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 personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as capable as everyone else, consciously choosing a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no shame in the staircase as well. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall all the way down if he trips. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s exhausted, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

My Experience

During my game, I chose the staircase. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call