Baby Steps Features Among the Most Impactful Decisions I've Ever Faced in Gaming

I've encountered some challenging choices in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence led me to set down my controller for several minutes while I considered my options. I am responsible for countless Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what possibly is the hardest choice I've faced in gaming — and it concerns a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out, is not really a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in the conventional way. You only need to walk around a expansive environment as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his wobbly legs. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a difficulty, as years spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The physical comedy of it all stems from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to help him out. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an inescapable pit and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Defining Decision

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s one true moment of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route called The Manbreaker. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps includes; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs instead and get to the top in a short time. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest 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 culminating in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the fact that he’s unconfident of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Taking on The Obstacle could be a instance where he can show that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified struggling just to prove a point?

The steps, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in if they decline guidance, but they can decide to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt each time you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that transform an easy path into a obstacle suddenly. Could the steps an additional deception? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be let down by a final joke? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being compelled to refer to a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options leads to a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as capable as anyone else, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no shame in the stairs either. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to take support. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They continue for a while, 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. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, of course, chosen to take The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Choice

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