Baby Steps Features Among the Most Impactful Choices I've Ever Faced in Gaming

I've dealt with some difficult decisions in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments prompted me to set down my controller for around ten minutes while I thought through my alternatives. I am the cause of numerous Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what could be the hardest choice I've ever made in interactive media — and it involves a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a choice-driven game. At least not in the conventional way. You simply have to explore a sprawling open world as Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that exemplifies that strength like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all arises from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an inescapable pit and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

This culminates in Baby Steps’s one true moment of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and risky path called The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps provides; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs in its place and get to the top in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the reality that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Attempting The Obstacle could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be paved with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit struggling just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt each time you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with design traps that change a secure way into a setback instantly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being compelled to refer to a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path leads to a authentic instance of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than suffering through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs as well. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip completely down if he trips. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, of course, selected The Challenge. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Choice

During my game, I opted for the stairs. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call