Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've faced some challenging decisions in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments prompted me to put my controller down for around ten minutes while I weighed my choices. I am the cause of numerous Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations compare to what could be the most difficult decision I've ever made in a video game — and it concerns a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out, is not really a decision-focused experience. At least not in any traditional sense. You only need to walk around a vast game world as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s no moment that exemplifies that strength like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that walking through it is a challenge, as years spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all stems from users guiding Nate gradually, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who everyone tries to give him a hand. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. During the narrative, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Defining Decision

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s one true moment of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he realizes that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and risky path dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game provides; attempting it appears unwise 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 a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that road is bound to be filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth suffering just to demonstrate something?

The steps, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in if they decline guidance, but they can opt to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about creating doubt whenever you find a gift horse. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a difficulty on a dime. Is the staircase one more trick? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be let down by a final joke? And even worse, 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 correct or incorrect choice. Both options results in a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as competent as others, voluntarily accepting a tough path 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 shame in the stairs as well. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no hidden trick awaiting him. The staircase is not a trick. They go on for a long time, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip completely down if he falls. It’s a simple climb after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, naturally, chosen to take The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

My Choice

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