Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've faced some hard choices in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments prompted me to put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my options. I am the cause of numerous Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. None of those moments compare to what could be the toughest selection I've ever made in interactive media — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out, is hardly a choice-driven game. At least not in any traditional sense. You must walk around a vast game world as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that moving around in it is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all stems from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A composed outdoorsman seeks to provide Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he plunges 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 encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he finds that he must climb to the top of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail named The Manbreaker. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game has to offer; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a enormous coiled steps in its place and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an difficult selection in this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of what he fails to be. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can show that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be paved with more humiliating failures. Does it merit striving just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, 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 decline guidance, but they can decide to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid each time you see a simple solution. The game world contains intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a obstacle suddenly. Could the steps an additional deception? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished another time by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one results in a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate eventually obtains a moment to show that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a tough path 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 needs.

But there’s no shame in the stairs either. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide to the bottom if he trips. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, of course, selected The Obstacle. He tries to play it cool, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Experience

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