Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Impactful Choices I've Ever Encountered in a Game

I've dealt with some difficult decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section led me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am responsible for numerous Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series 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 interactive media — and it concerns a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a choice-driven game. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You must explore a expansive environment as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no situation that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that moving around in it is a struggle, as years spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all comes from users guiding Nate gradually, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. During his adventure, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who everyone tries to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s key situation of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he finds that he must climb to the top of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route called The Manbreaker. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game includes; attempting it appears unwise to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can merely climb a enormous coiled steps instead and reach the summit in a few minutes. The single stipulation? 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 agonizing choice in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself culminating in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the reality that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Whenever he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can show that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit struggling just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in about they reject navigation help, but they can decide to give Nate a break and take the stairs. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about causing suspicion whenever you find a gift horse. The game world contains planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a difficulty on a dime. Are the stairs an additional deception? Will Nate get at the peak just to be let down by some last-second gag? And more troubling, is he willing to be emasculated yet again by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one results in a authentic instance of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the steps either. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide completely down if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, naturally, selected The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, quietly regretting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

My Experience

When I played, I opted for the stairs. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call