Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Impactful Decisions I Have Ever Faced in a Game

I've encountered some challenging decisions in video games. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence led me to put my controller down for around ten minutes while I considered my options. I am accountable for so many Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what possibly is the hardest choice I've ever made in a video game — and it involves a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out, is hardly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in the conventional way. You simply have to walk around a expansive environment as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will sneak up on you when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is transported from his family's basement and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that walking through it is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all stems from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to others. During his adventure, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to help him out. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s key situation of decision. As Nate nears the end his journey, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a snow-capped peak. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path called The Manbreaker. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game provides; attempting it appears unwise to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase as an alternative and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

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 single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the truth that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Taking on The Obstacle could be a moment where he can show that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth struggling just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance 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 give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about causing suspicion anytime you see a simple solution. The environment includes design traps that turn a safe route into a obstacle on a dime. Could the steps an additional deception? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be fooled by an ending prank? And more concerning, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Either one leads to a real situation of protagonist evolution and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate eventually obtains a chance to prove that he’s as able as others, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the stairs too. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The staircase is not a trick. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he doesn’t slide completely down if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s fatigued, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

My Experience

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