Baby Steps Features Among the Most Meaningful Decisions I've Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've faced some hard decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments made me put my controller down for around ten minutes while I thought through my alternatives. I am responsible for numerous Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what could be the toughest selection I’ve had to make in a video game — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, is not really a decision-focused experience. At least not in any traditional sense. You simply have to explore a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can hardly stay upright on his wobbly legs. It looks like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when it's most unexpected. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that walking through it is a struggle, as years spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The physical comedy of it all stems from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to assist him. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you experience no shortage of frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he discovers that he must ascend of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route called The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game provides; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can merely climb a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and reach the summit in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an difficult selection in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the reality that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of what he fails to be. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit striving just to make a statement?

The staircase, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can choose to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt anytime you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a setback instantly. Are the stairs one more trick? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be let down by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being forced to call a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one leads to a authentic instance of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as everyone else, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than suffering 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 craves.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps either. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They go on for a long time, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he does not fall to the bottom if he trips. It’s a simple climb after hours of struggle. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, selected The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

My Choice

In my playthrough, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call