Baby Steps Features Among the Most Impactful Choices I Have Ever Encountered in a Game

I've encountered some challenging decisions in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence prompted me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am accountable for numerous Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what now might be the hardest choice I've faced in interactive media — and it involves a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out game, is hardly a decision-focused experience. Certainly not in the conventional way. You simply have to walk around a sprawling open world as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its surprisingly deep narrative that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps game starts when 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 deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all comes from users guiding Nate gradually, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. As he progresses, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps’s one true moment of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps provides; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs as an alternative and arrive at the peak in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is revolves around 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. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely paved with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified suffering just to demonstrate something?

The steps, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It should be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid anytime you find a gift horse. The game world contains design traps that change a secure way into a difficulty suddenly. Is the staircase yet another trap? Will Nate get at the peak just to be let down by a final joke? And more concerning, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options brings about a genuine moment of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as capable as others, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase too. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no real catch in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide to the bottom if he falls. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, of course, selected The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

My Experience

During my game, I chose the staircase. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call