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

I've dealt with some difficult choices in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence made me put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my options. I am responsible for numerous Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what could be the hardest choice I've ever made in interactive media — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the developers of Ape Out game, is not really a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in the conventional way. You simply have to walk around a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that showcases that quality like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that moving around in it is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all arises from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to other characters. As he progresses, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to help him out. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s key situation of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route called The Manbreaker. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game has to offer; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase instead and get to the top in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in a particularly bizarre situation. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the reality that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Taking on The Obstacle could be a time where he can prove that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be filled with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit suffering just to prove a point?

The staircase, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in about they decline guidance, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid each time you encounter an easy option. The environment includes planned obstacles that change a secure way into a obstacle on a dime. Is the staircase yet another trap? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be disappointed by a final joke? And more concerning, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one leads to a real situation of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, it’s an personal triumph. Nate eventually obtains a chance to prove that he’s as competent as others, willingly taking on a tough path rather than struggling through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no disgrace in the stairs as well. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he does, he finds that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he doesn’t slide completely down if he falls. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

My Experience

During my game, I opted for the stairs. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call