Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Meaningful Decisions I've Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've encountered some hard decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence prompted me to pause the game for several minutes while I weighed my options. I am responsible for numerous Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what now might be the hardest choice I’ve had to make in gaming — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a choice-driven game. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You simply have to walk around a sprawling open world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a struggle, as years spent as a sedentary person have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all comes from users guiding Nate gradually, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. During his adventure, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to assist him. A self-assured trekker seeks to provide Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is given a way out, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and truly prefers to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you experience no shortage of irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he finds that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route called The Manbreaker. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs in its place and arrive at the peak in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an difficult selection in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. Part of Nate’s journey is centered around the truth that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a hard reminder of everything he’s not. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a time where he can show that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified struggling just to demonstrate something?

The steps, on the other hand, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in about they reject navigation help, but they can choose to give Nate a break and take the stairs. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about making you feel paranoid whenever you encounter an easy option. The environment includes design traps that turn a safe route into a setback on a dime. Are the stairs an additional deception? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Either one leads to a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as competent as others, consciously choosing a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs either. To choose that path is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They go on for a long time, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip to the bottom if he falls. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, naturally, selected The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, addressing his new Master, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

My Choice

In my playthrough, I selected the steps. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call