Baby Steps Features One of the Most Significant Decisions I've Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've dealt with some challenging decisions in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments made me pause the game for several minutes while I considered my choices. I am accountable for countless Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what possibly is the toughest selection I've ever made in gaming — and it involves a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the developers of Ape Out, is hardly a decision-focused experience. At least not in any traditional sense. You simply have to explore a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that walking through it is a challenge, as years spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The physical comedy of it all arises from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has trouble voicing that to others. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a map, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios 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’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he finds that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to tell 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 Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game includes; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can merely climb a gigantic spiral staircase instead and get to the top in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he takes the easy route.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an difficult selection in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the fact that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Taking on The Obstacle could be a instance where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be filled with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth suffering just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt each time you find a gift horse. The world is filled with design traps that transform an easy path into a difficulty instantly. Are the stairs yet another trap? Will Nate get at the peak just to be let down by a final joke? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options leads to a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Challenge, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no disgrace in the stairs as well. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

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