Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Impactful Decisions I Have Ever Faced in Gaming

I've dealt with some challenging choices in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments prompted me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my options. I am responsible for so many Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what possibly is the hardest choice I've faced in a video game — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out, is not really a choice-driven game. At least not in any traditional sense. You must walk around a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that walking through it is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all stems from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to others. As he progresses, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and genuinely desires to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he discovers that he must ascend of a snow-capped peak. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can take an extremely long and risky path dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps provides; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and reach the summit in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in the game's narrative. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the reality that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that route is sure to be filled with more humiliating failures. Does it merit striving just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It might seem like an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt anytime you see a simple solution. The game world contains planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a obstacle instantly. Could the steps an additional deception? Will Nate get at the peak just to be let down by a final joke? And more troubling, is he prepared to be humiliated another time by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path brings about a authentic instance of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate eventually obtains a chance to prove that he’s as capable as others, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the staircase either. To opt for that way is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The staircase is not a trick. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall completely down if he falls. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

In my playthrough, I chose the staircase. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call