The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Impactful Decisions I Have Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've encountered some difficult choices in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence led me to put my controller down for around ten minutes while I considered my options. I am the cause of countless Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what possibly is the toughest selection I’ve had to make in interactive media — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You simply have to walk around a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will surprise you when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like a key selection that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps starts when Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The slapstick elements of it all comes from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. Throughout his hero’s journey, he comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who everyone tries to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be confined in the cavity. During the narrative, you experience no shortage of frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Defining Decision

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s key situation of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game has to offer; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase in its place and arrive at the peak in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an agonizing choice in context. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the truth that he’s unconfident of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a hard reminder of everything he’s not. Taking on The Obstacle could be a time where he can show that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be paved with more humiliating failures. Is it worth struggling just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment 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 choose to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about causing suspicion anytime you find a gift horse. The world is filled with design traps that transform an easy path into a setback suddenly. Is the staircase yet another trap? Will Nate get at the peak just to be disappointed by a final joke? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished another time by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Either one leads to a authentic instance of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as able as anyone else, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no disgrace in the staircase too. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he does, he finds that there’s no hidden trick awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall completely down if he falls. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, of course, chosen to take The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

My Choice

When I played, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call