Baby Steps Features One of the Most Significant Decisions I Have Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've faced some challenging decisions in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section led me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I considered my choices. I am accountable for countless Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. None of those moments compare to what could be the toughest selection I've ever made in gaming — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out game, is not really a selection-based adventure. At least not in typical gaming terms. You must navigate a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that showcases that quality like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a struggle, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all arises from users guiding Nate gradually, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to others. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who all offer to assist him. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he can manage alone and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. 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

This culminates in Baby Steps’s key situation of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he finds that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can take an extremely long and risky path called The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps includes; taking it seems inadvisable to any human.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs in its place and get to the top in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the reality that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a time where he can show that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit striving just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in about they reject navigation help, but they can choose to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid whenever you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with planned obstacles that change a secure way into a difficulty suddenly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be fooled by an ending prank? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Both options brings about a real situation of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as competent as others, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps either. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, of course, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so nasty. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

My Choice

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