Baby Steps Features One of the Most Impactful Decisions I've Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've encountered some challenging choices in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima ending section made me put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am the cause of countless Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what possibly is the most difficult decision I've ever made in a video game — and it concerns a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out game, is hardly a selection-based adventure. At least not in any traditional sense. You only need to explore a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is transported from his family's basement and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have atrophied his limbs. The slapstick elements of it all comes from users guiding Nate gradually, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to help him out. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you experience no shortage of irritating episodes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too self-conscious to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate nears the end his journey, he finds that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to tell him that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps provides; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in the game's narrative. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the fact that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Attempting The Obstacle could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be laden with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified suffering just to make a statement?

The steps, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in if they turn away a map, but they can choose to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt each time you encounter an easy option. The game world contains intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a difficulty on a dime. Are the stairs one more trick? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be fooled by a final joke? And more troubling, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options leads to a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as able as others, consciously choosing a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the staircase too. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall all the way down if he falls. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, of course, selected The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

During my game, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call