Baby Steps Features One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I've Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've encountered some difficult choices in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments prompted me to put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my alternatives. I am responsible for countless Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what could be the toughest selection I've faced in gaming — and it involves a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in the conventional way. You simply have to navigate a expansive environment as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can hardly stay upright on his wobbly legs. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that moving around in it is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all stems from players controlling Nate one step at a time, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. During his adventure, he meets 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 navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s one true moment of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can opt for a particularly extended and risky path named The Manbreaker. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game includes; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and get to the top in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is revolves around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a hard reminder of everything he’s not. Attempting The Challenge could be a time where he can prove that he’s as capable as his unilateral competitor, but that road is bound to be filled with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit suffering just to demonstrate something?

The steps, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in about they decline guidance, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about creating doubt whenever you find a gift horse. The environment includes design traps that transform an easy path into a obstacle suddenly. Could the steps an additional deception? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be fooled by an ending prank? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path brings about a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as others, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps too. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he doesn’t slide to the bottom if he falls. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, of course, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

Personal Reflection

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