Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Faced in Gaming

I've faced some difficult decisions in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments made me pause the game for a good 10 minutes while I considered my choices. I am responsible for countless Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances compare to what now might be the most difficult decision I've faced in interactive media — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out game, is hardly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in the conventional way. You only need to walk around a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can hardly stay upright 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 it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like a key selection that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a challenge, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all stems from users guiding Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. During his adventure, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to assist him. A self-assured trekker tries to give Nate a map, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an inescapable pit 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. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

This culminates in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he discovers that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The default guardian 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 up for a challenge, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path named The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps has to offer; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase instead and reach the summit in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an difficult selection in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a time where he can prove that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be paved with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified struggling just to prove a point?

The staircase, on the other hand, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in about they decline guidance, but they can decide to give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning 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 suddenly. Are the stairs an additional deception? Could Nate reach at the peak just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options leads to a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s difficult, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps as well. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The staircase is not a trick. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip all the way down if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, opted for The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call