Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Meaningful Decisions I've Ever Faced in Video Games

I've encountered some hard choices in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section made me set down my controller for around ten minutes while I considered my options. I am the cause of so many Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances compare to what now might be the toughest selection I’ve had to make in interactive media — and it concerns a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the developers of Ape Out, is not really a decision-focused experience. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You must navigate a vast game world as Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that moving around in it is a struggle, as years spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all arises from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to other characters. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps’s one true moment of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route named The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game includes; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase as an alternative and reach the summit in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is centered around the reality that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Undertaking The Manbreaker 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 filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified struggling just to make a statement?

The steps, on the other hand, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to choose whether to take assistance or not. The user doesn't get to decide in if they reject navigation help, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It should be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt each time you see a simple solution. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a obstacle suddenly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And more troubling, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being forced to call a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options leads to a authentic instance of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as competent as everyone else, willingly taking on a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the stairs too. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick in store 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 all the way down if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can discern that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Experience

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