Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Faced in a Game

I've encountered some hard decisions in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence made me set down my controller for around ten minutes while I considered my choices. I am responsible for numerous Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances compare to what possibly is the hardest choice I've faced in interactive media — and it concerns a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out, is hardly a decision-focused experience. At least not in the conventional way. You must explore a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its surprisingly deep narrative that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a struggle, as years spent as a inactive individual have atrophied his limbs. The physical comedy of it all comes from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to other characters. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who all offer to help him out. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he finds that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided 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 hazardous route dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game includes; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs instead and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” 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 the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the truth that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Taking on The Challenge could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as capable as his unilateral competitor, but that road is bound to be laden with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit suffering just to make a statement?

The stairs, 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 opt for the steps. It should be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt each time you find a gift horse. The game world contains planned obstacles that change a secure way into a difficulty on a dime. Is the staircase yet another trap? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be let down by a final joke? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished once again by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path results in a real situation of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no shame in the staircase either. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he discovers that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip all the way down if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the hiker who has, of course, opted for The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. Part of me just {wanted to call