Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Impactful Decisions I've Ever Experienced in a Game

I've faced some challenging decisions in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments led me to put my controller down for several minutes while I considered my choices. I am the cause of so many Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations compare to what could be the hardest choice I've faced in a video game — and it concerns a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out game, is hardly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to explore a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will sneak up on you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a struggle, as years spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all arises from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s key situation of choice. As Nate nears the end his journey, he realizes that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route named The Manbreaker. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps includes; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase instead and reach the summit in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

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 coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is revolves around the fact that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Taking on The Challenge could be a time where he can show that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely laden with more humiliating failures. Is it worth struggling just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid whenever you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a difficulty instantly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be fooled by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he prepared to be humiliated another time by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options brings about a real situation of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as anyone else, consciously choosing a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no disgrace in the stairs too. To opt for that way is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no secret drawback awaiting 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 trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Experience

During my game, I selected the steps. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call