The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Significant Choices I Have Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've faced some difficult decisions in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence made me set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am responsible for so many Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what possibly is the most difficult decision I've faced in interactive media — and it concerns a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out, is hardly a choice-driven game. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You must explore a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps game starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that walking through it is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all arises from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s key situation of choice. As Nate nears the end his quest, he realizes that he must reach the summit 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 paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long and risky path called The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps provides; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs in its place and reach the summit in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Painful Choice

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. 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 focused on the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, 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 one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth striving just to make a statement?

The staircase, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can choose to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It might seem like an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about causing suspicion anytime you see a simple solution. 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 all the way to the top just to be let down by some last-second gag? And more troubling, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options results in a real situation of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as capable as anyone else, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps too. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip all the way down if he falls. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

My Experience

When I played, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call