Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Impactful Decisions I Have Ever Experienced in a Game

I've dealt with some hard decisions in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments led me to put my controller down for around ten minutes while I weighed my choices. I am responsible for countless Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances measure up to what could be the hardest choice I've ever made in gaming — and it involves a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. At least not in any traditional sense. You must walk around a vast game world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that walking through it is a challenge, as years spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all stems from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to assist him. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he can manage alone and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

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 reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail named The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps provides; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs instead and reach the summit in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the reality that he’s unconfident of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be laden with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth struggling just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The gamer cannot choose in about they reject navigation help, but they can opt to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about causing suspicion whenever you see a simple solution. The game world contains design traps that turn a safe route into a obstacle instantly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get at the peak just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished once again by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options leads to a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate eventually obtains a moment to show that he’s as competent as anyone else, consciously choosing a tough path rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase too. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip to the bottom if he falls. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, of course, selected The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can discern that he’s fatigued, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

During my game, I chose the staircase. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call