Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Meaningful Choices I've Ever Encountered in a Game

I've faced some hard choices in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section prompted me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I considered my options. I am the cause of so many Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. None of those moments measure up to what could be the toughest selection I've faced in gaming — and it concerns a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, is not really a decision-focused experience. Definitely 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 one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that walking through it is a challenge, as years spent as a sedentary person have deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all stems from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. As he progresses, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman seeks to provide Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an inescapable pit and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s one true moment of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail called The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps includes; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and get to the top in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in context. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the truth that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Whenever he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a time where he can prove that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely laden with more humiliating failures. Does it merit struggling just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in if they turn away a map, but they can choose to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It might seem like an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about making you feel paranoid each time you encounter an easy option. The environment includes design traps that turn a safe route into a setback instantly. Could the steps 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 compelled to refer to a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one results in a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate eventually obtains a chance to prove that he’s as competent as everyone else, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the dose of confidence that he requires.

But there’s no shame in the staircase too. To choose that path is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he does, he finds that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The staircase is not a trick. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide completely down if he falls. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, of course, opted for The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I selected the steps. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call