Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Significant Decisions I've Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've faced some hard decisions in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima ending section prompted me to set down my controller for around ten minutes while I thought through my choices. I am accountable for countless Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what possibly is the hardest choice I've faced in gaming — and it involves a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out, is hardly a choice-driven game. Definitely not in the conventional way. You only need to explore a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that moving around in it is a challenge, as years spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all arises from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to assist him. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s key situation of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing 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) appears to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path named The Manbreaker. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps includes; attempting it appears unwise to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs as an alternative and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection 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 focused on the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be paved with more humiliating failures. Does it merit striving just to demonstrate something?

The steps, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to choose whether to take assistance or not. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can opt to provide Nate with respite and opt for the steps. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about making you feel paranoid anytime you encounter an easy option. The environment includes planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a difficulty instantly. Could the steps one more trick? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished another time by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path leads to a authentic instance of character development and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as able as others, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no shame in the steps either. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no real catch in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after hours of struggle. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, of course, opted for The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

My Choice

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