Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Meaningful Choices I Have Ever Faced in a Game

I've encountered some hard decisions in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence made me pause the game for a good 10 minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am responsible for so many Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. None of those moments measure up to what possibly is the toughest selection I've faced in interactive media — and it involves a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. At least not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to explore a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that exemplifies that strength like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps game starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that moving around in it is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality 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 problems articulating that to anyone. During his adventure, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s key situation of decision. 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 consistently evaded up to this point) appears to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route dubbed The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps has to offer; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs instead and reach the summit in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am very serious when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is centered around the truth that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of what he fails to be. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified suffering just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in if they decline guidance, but they can choose to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It should be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt anytime you find a gift horse. The world is filled with design traps that turn a safe route into a difficulty instantly. Could the steps yet another trap? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be fooled by a final joke? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being made to address some weirdo 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 therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate eventually obtains a chance to prove that he’s as capable as everyone else, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the steps too. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he does, he realizes that there’s no hidden trick awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip completely down if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, selected The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

Personal Reflection

In my playthrough, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call