The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Impactful Choices I've Ever Faced in Gaming

I've faced some difficult choices in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments prompted me to pause the game for several minutes while I thought through my choices. I am responsible for numerous Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations compare to what could be the hardest choice I've ever made in gaming — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out game, is hardly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You must walk around a sprawling open world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will sneak up on you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no moment that exemplifies that strength like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that walking through it is a difficulty, as years spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all arises from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. As he progresses, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Pivotal Moment

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate nears the end his quest, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game provides; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs in its place and reach the summit in a short time. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

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 reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the reality that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Undertaking The Challenge could be a moment where he can show that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that route is sure to be laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified struggling just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in about they decline guidance, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid each time you find a gift horse. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that transform an easy path into a difficulty instantly. Are the stairs yet another trap? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be let down by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Either one leads to a real situation of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as capable as anyone else, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase too. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip to the bottom if he falls. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I chose the staircase. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call