Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Meaningful Choices I've Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've dealt with some difficult choices in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section led me to set down my controller for several minutes while I thought through my options. I am accountable for countless Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what could be the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in a video game — and it concerns a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a choice-driven game. At least not in typical gaming terms. You only need to explore a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his wobbly legs. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s no situation that exemplifies that strength like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a difficulty, as years spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all stems from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. Throughout his hero’s journey, he comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to assist him. A self-assured trekker tries to give Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps has to offer; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs in its place and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the truth that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Whenever he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a hard reminder of everything he’s not. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be paved with more humiliating failures. Does it merit suffering just to prove a point?

The staircase, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to choose whether to take assistance or not. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can choose to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about causing suspicion whenever you find a gift horse. The world is filled with planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a setback on a dime. Could the steps one more trick? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be let down by a final joke? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path brings about a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as capable as everyone else, willingly taking on a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the staircase too. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall to the bottom if he falls. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, naturally, selected The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting 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 nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. Part of me just {wanted to call