Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Encountered in a Game

I've faced some difficult decisions in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence prompted me to pause the game for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my choices. I am responsible for countless Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what possibly is the hardest choice I've faced in gaming — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a choice-driven game. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You only need to explore a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It looks like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that exemplifies that strength like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps game begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all comes from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. During his adventure, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he plunges into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he finds that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game provides; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and get to the top in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he takes the easy route.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself reaching a climax in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the truth that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of everything he’s not. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified striving just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in about they turn away a map, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It might seem like an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion anytime you encounter an easy option. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that transform an easy path into a difficulty instantly. Are the stairs one more trick? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished once again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options brings about a authentic instance of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he craves.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps as well. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he does, he realizes that there’s no hidden trick awaiting him. The staircase is not a trick. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip to the bottom if he trips. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

My Experience

When I played, I opted for the stairs. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call