The Game Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've faced some challenging decisions in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence prompted me to set down my controller for several minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am accountable for so many Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations compare to what could be the most difficult decision I've faced in interactive media — and it involves a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in the conventional way. You simply have to walk around a vast game world as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot 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 remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a difficulty, as years spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all arises from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to others. As he progresses, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he finds that he must ascend of a snow-capped peak. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps provides; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps in its place and reach the summit in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

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 one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is centered around the truth that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Challenge could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely filled with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified suffering just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The player has no choice in about they reject navigation help, but they can choose to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about creating doubt each time you find a gift horse. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a difficulty on a dime. Could the steps yet another trap? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be disappointed by a final joke? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being forced to call a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Both options results in a authentic instance of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate eventually obtains a moment to show that he’s as capable as others, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps as well. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he doesn’t slide all the way down if he falls. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, naturally, opted for The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Choice

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. Part of me just {wanted to call