The Game Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Impactful Choices I Have Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've encountered some challenging decisions in interactive entertainment. Several of my selections in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence made me set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am responsible for countless Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations compare to what possibly is the hardest choice I've ever made in interactive media — and it involves a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to navigate a sprawling open world as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps starts when Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a challenge, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all stems from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who all offer to help him out. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s key situation of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a frosty elevation. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and risky path dubbed The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps includes; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs instead and get to the top in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself culminating in a particularly bizarre situation. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the truth that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of what he fails to be. Taking on The Obstacle could be a time where he can show that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that road is bound to be paved with more humiliating failures. Is it justified 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 player has no choice in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can decide to give Nate a break and take the stairs. It should be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about making you feel paranoid whenever you find a gift horse. The game world contains design traps that transform an easy path into a obstacle suddenly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be fooled by a final joke? And more troubling, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being compelled to refer to a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one results in a authentic instance of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as others, consciously choosing a difficult route rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps too. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he discovers that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The staircase is not a trick. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he doesn’t slide all the way down if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

Personal Reflection

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