Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Meaningful Choices I Have Ever Experienced in a Game

I've encountered some hard choices in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments made me put my controller down for several minutes while I thought through my choices. I am accountable for countless Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations measure up 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.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out, is hardly a decision-focused experience. At least not in any traditional sense. You must walk around a vast game world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its surprisingly deep narrative that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no situation that exemplifies that strength like a key selection that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a struggle, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all stems from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. As he progresses, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to give him a hand. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail called The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game includes; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs in its place and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection 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. Whenever he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit suffering just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in if they reject navigation help, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion each time you find a gift horse. The game world contains planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a obstacle on a dime. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be let down by an ending prank? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished another time by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options brings about a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as capable as others, consciously choosing a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no disgrace in the staircase too. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he discovers that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip all the way down if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, of course, opted for The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so nasty. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

My Experience

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