Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Impactful Choices I've Ever Encountered in a Game

I've faced some difficult choices in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments led me to put my controller down for around ten minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am the cause of so many Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances compare to what now might be the toughest selection I've ever made in a video game — and it concerns a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. At least not in any traditional sense. You simply have to navigate a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is transported from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a challenge, as years spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all arises from users guiding Nate gradually, 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 comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to help him out. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is presented with a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he can manage alone and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps’s one true moment of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he finds that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail called The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game includes; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can merely climb a gigantic spiral staircase instead and reach the summit in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. An element of Nate's story is focused on the reality that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Taking on The Challenge could be a moment where he can show that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely paved with more humiliating failures. Is it justified struggling just to make a statement?

The steps, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in about they decline guidance, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion anytime you encounter an easy option. The environment includes design traps that change a secure way into a difficulty instantly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be let down by a final joke? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished once again by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options results in a real situation of character development and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as others, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs as well. To choose that path is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, 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 simple to climb and he doesn’t slide completely down if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, naturally, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

Personal Reflection

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