The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Significant Decisions I Have Ever Faced in Gaming

I've faced some difficult choices in interactive entertainment. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence led me to put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my options. I am the cause of so many Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances compare to what could be the hardest choice I’ve had to make in gaming — and it concerns a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a choice-driven game. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to explore a vast game world as Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps game begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all comes from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to help him out. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is presented with a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he finds that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path called The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game provides; 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 a short time. The only caveat? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the fact that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can show that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely laden with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth suffering just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to choose whether to take assistance or not. The player has no choice in if they reject navigation help, but they can opt to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about causing suspicion anytime you find a gift horse. The game world contains design traps that transform an easy path into a obstacle suddenly. Is the staircase yet another trap? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be fooled by an ending prank? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished once again by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options brings about a genuine moment of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a chance to prove that he’s as capable as anyone else, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase as well. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick awaiting him. The staircase is not a trick. They extend for some distance, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

My Experience

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