The Game Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Significant Choices I Have Ever Experienced in a Game

I've encountered some hard choices in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments led me to set down my controller for several minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am the cause of countless Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. None of those moments measure up to what now might be the toughest selection I've faced in interactive media — and it concerns a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out, is hardly a selection-based adventure. At least not in any traditional sense. You simply have to walk around a sprawling open world as Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you 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 scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a challenge, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all arises from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you experience no shortage of frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to take support.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate nears the end his quest, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game has to offer; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a gigantic spiral staircase as an alternative and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

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 coming to a head in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the truth that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that route is sure to be filled with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit striving 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 allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It should be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about causing suspicion anytime you find a gift horse. The world is filled with planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a difficulty on a dime. Are the stairs an additional deception? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be let down by an ending prank? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options results in a genuine moment of personal growth and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a moment to show that he’s as able as everyone else, consciously choosing a tough path rather than struggling through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps as well. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no real catch in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, of course, opted for The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

When I played, I chose the staircase. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call