The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Impactful Decisions I've Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've encountered some challenging decisions in video games. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence made me set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my options. I am responsible for numerous Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. None of those moments compare to what possibly is the toughest selection I’ve had to make in gaming — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You only need to walk around a expansive environment as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like a key selection that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps game begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a struggle, as a long time spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all arises from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he finds that he must reach the summit of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two paths upward. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and risky path called The Manbreaker. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps provides; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase instead and get to the top in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “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 context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is focused on the truth that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of what he fails to be. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as capable as his unilateral competitor, but that route is sure to be paved with more humiliating failures. Is it worth suffering just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in about they decline guidance, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt each time you see a simple solution. The game world contains intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a setback instantly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be disappointed by a final joke? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options brings about a genuine moment of personal growth and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than suffering 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 requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase as well. To opt for that way is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no real catch in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall to the bottom if he falls. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Obstacle. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

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