Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Significant Decisions I've Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've faced some difficult choices in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments led me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my options. I am accountable for countless Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what could be the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in interactive media — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. At least not in the conventional way. You simply have to walk around a expansive environment as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his wobbly legs. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a difficulty, as years spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The slapstick elements of it all stems from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A self-assured trekker seeks to provide Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate nears the end his quest, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs as an alternative and reach the summit in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the fact that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that route is sure to be laden with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit struggling just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the other hand, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can decide to give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion each time you find a gift horse. The game world contains design traps that turn a safe route into a setback instantly. Are the stairs yet another trap? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And more troubling, is he ready to be diminished once again by being forced to call an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path results in a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as everyone else, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps as well. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no secret drawback waiting for him. The staircase is not a trick. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip completely down if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, of course, opted for The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

My Experience

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