The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I've Ever Faced in Gaming

I've encountered some difficult decisions in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments prompted me to put my controller down for around ten minutes while I considered my options. I am responsible for numerous Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances measure up to what possibly is the hardest choice I've ever made in gaming — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out, is hardly a decision-focused experience. At least not in the conventional way. You must navigate a vast game world as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will sneak up on you when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that moving around in it is a struggle, as years spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all comes from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to others. As he progresses, he meets a cast of eccentric characters in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls 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 confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too self-conscious 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 realizes that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can opt for a particularly extended and risky path dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game provides; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps instead and get to the top in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “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 all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is focused on the reality that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely paved with more humiliating failures. Is it worth suffering just to make a statement?

The steps, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can choose to give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid anytime you encounter an easy option. The environment includes design traps that turn a safe route into a setback on a dime. Could the steps one more trick? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be disappointed by a final joke? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished another time by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path brings about a genuine moment of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as anyone else, consciously choosing a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps too. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he does so, he finds 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 easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide all the way down if he falls. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Experience

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