Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I've Ever Faced in a Game
I've faced some hard decisions in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence made me put my controller down for around ten minutes while I considered my options. I am responsible for numerous Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations compare to what now might be the toughest selection I've faced in a video game — and it involves a enormous set of steps.
The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out game, is not really a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You only need to explore a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no situation that exemplifies that strength like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.
Alert: Spoilers
Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps game begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a challenge, as years spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all comes from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.
Nate requires assistance, but he has trouble voicing that to others. During his adventure, he meets a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to assist him. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to receive help.
The Ultimate Choice
Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate nears the end his adventure, he finds that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route called The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps includes; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.
But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs in its place and reach the summit in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.
An Agonizing Decision
I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself culminating in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is centered around the fact that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can show that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be laden with more humiliating failures. Is it justified struggling just to make a statement?
The stairs, 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 take the stairs. It should be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion each time you find a gift horse. The world is filled with planned obstacles that change a secure way into a obstacle on a dime. Are the stairs yet another trap? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be let down by an ending prank? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?
No Perfect Choice
The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Either one brings about a genuine moment of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.
But there’s no disgrace in the steps too. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no hidden trick awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Partway 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 see that he’s fatigued, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?
My Experience
During my game, I chose the staircase. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call
