Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I've Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've encountered some hard decisions in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments prompted me to pause the game for around ten minutes while I considered my options. I am accountable for countless Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what now might be the toughest selection I've ever made in interactive media — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out game, is hardly a choice-driven game. Definitely not in the conventional way. You only need to walk around a vast game world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like a key selection that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all comes from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to others. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you experience no shortage of irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s key situation of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he realizes that he must climb to the top 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 prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route called The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can merely climb a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and get to the top in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest 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 focused on the fact that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of what he fails to be. Taking on The Obstacle could be a moment where he can show that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth suffering just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the contrary, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in about they turn away a map, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid each time you find a gift horse. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a obstacle on a dime. Are the stairs yet another trap? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options brings about a authentic instance of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as capable as anyone else, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase as well. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no hidden trick 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 all the way down if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s fatigued, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

During my game, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call