Baby Steps Features Among the Most Impactful Choices I Have Ever Encountered in a Game

I've encountered some challenging choices in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments led me to set down my controller for several minutes while I thought through my options. I am accountable for so many Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. None of those moments measure up to what could be the hardest choice I’ve had to make in gaming — and it involves a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the developers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a choice-driven game. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You only need to explore a vast game world as Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like a key selection that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a struggle, as years spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The physical comedy of it all arises from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. As he progresses, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to help him out. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a map, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s key situation of choice. As Nate nears the end his quest, he finds that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path named The Manbreaker. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps provides; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps instead and reach the summit in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Taking on The Obstacle could be a instance where he can show that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit striving just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to choose whether to take assistance or not. The user doesn't get to decide in about they reject navigation help, but they can opt to give Nate a break and take the stairs. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about causing suspicion anytime you find a gift horse. The game world contains planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a setback on a dime. Could the steps yet another trap? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be disappointed by a final joke? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished another time by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Either one brings about a real situation of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as capable as others, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he craves.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs too. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he discovers that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he does not fall completely down if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

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