Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Faced in Gaming

I've faced some difficult choices in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section led me to put my controller down for several minutes while I thought through my alternatives. I am responsible for numerous Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what now might be the toughest selection I’ve had to make in a video game — and it involves a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in the conventional way. You only need to walk around a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. 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 it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps game starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes 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 players controlling Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries 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 trapping cavity and is given a way out, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you experience no shortage of frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Defining Decision

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate nears the end his adventure, he realizes that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game has to offer; attempting it appears unwise to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs in its place and get to the top in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an difficult selection in context. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the truth that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Attempting The Obstacle could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be paved with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit struggling just to prove a point?

The staircase, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in if they decline guidance, but they can opt to give Nate a break and take the stairs. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid whenever you encounter an easy option. The game world contains design traps that change a secure way into a difficulty on a dime. Could the steps yet another trap? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be fooled by a final joke? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished once 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 correct or incorrect choice. Each path leads to a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he craves.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps either. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he discovers that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he does not fall to the bottom if he falls. It’s a straightforward ascent after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, chosen to take The Challenge. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call