Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Impactful Decisions I've Ever Experienced in a Game

I've dealt with some difficult decisions in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section prompted me to set down my controller for around ten minutes while I weighed my choices. I am the cause of countless Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances measure up to what could be the toughest selection I've faced in a video game — and it concerns a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out, is hardly a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in the conventional way. You must explore a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that moving around in it is a challenge, as years spent as a sedentary person have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all comes from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing 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 cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s key situation of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he finds that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail called The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps provides; taking it seems inadvisable to any human.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase instead and get to the top in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the reality that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of everything he’s not. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can show 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 choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can opt to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt each time you see a simple solution. The game world contains intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a obstacle suddenly. Could the steps an additional deception? Will Nate get at the peak just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished yet again 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 right or wrong answer. Each path brings about a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the dose of confidence that he craves.

But there’s no embarrassment 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 waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip all the way down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

When I played, I opted for the stairs. Part of me just {wanted to call