Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Meaningful Decisions I've Ever Faced in Video Games

I've faced some difficult choices in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence prompted me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my choices. I am the cause of countless Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what possibly is the toughest selection I've faced in gaming — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out game, is hardly a choice-driven game. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You simply have to walk around a vast game world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that walking through it is a difficulty, as years spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all arises from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. During his adventure, he meets a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an unavoidable hole and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s one true moment of choice. As Nate nears the end his journey, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route named The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps has to offer; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs instead and get to the top in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the truth that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth suffering just to prove a point?

The steps, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can decide to give Nate a break and take the stairs. It should be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid anytime you encounter an easy option. The game world contains intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a difficulty instantly. Could the steps yet another trap? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be disappointed by a final joke? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated yet again by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options brings about a genuine moment of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as others, consciously choosing a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the steps either. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he doesn’t slide to the bottom if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, of course, selected The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

My Experience

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