Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've faced some challenging decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments made me put my controller down for around ten minutes while I weighed my choices. I am responsible for so many Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. None of those moments hold a candle 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 decision-focused experience. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You simply have to walk around a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a challenge, as a long time spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all comes from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman seeks to provide Nate a guide, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an inescapable pit and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s key situation of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he realizes that he must reach the summit of a frosty elevation. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps in its place and arrive at the peak in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the reality that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Taking on The Challenge could be a time where he can prove that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be filled with more humiliating failures. Is it justified struggling 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 player has no choice in about they reject navigation help, but they can opt to provide Nate with respite and opt for the steps. It should be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt whenever you see a simple solution. The environment includes planned obstacles that change a secure way into a setback suddenly. Could the steps an additional deception? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished once again by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path leads to a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as able as others, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no shame in the steps either. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip all the way down if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, of course, selected The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call