Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Encountered in a Game

I've encountered some challenging decisions in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence made me set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my options. I am the cause of so many Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. None of those moments measure up to what possibly is the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in interactive media — and it involves a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out, is hardly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You only need to explore a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It looks like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps game starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that walking through it is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all comes from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to others. During his adventure, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to assist him. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you experience no shortage of irritating episodes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he finds that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route named The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps provides; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs instead and reach the summit in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an agonizing choice in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in a particularly bizarre situation. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the reality that he’s unconfident of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a time where he can show that he’s as capable as his unilateral competitor, but that road is bound to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit struggling just to make a statement?

The staircase, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in if they reject navigation help, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion anytime you encounter an easy option. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that transform an easy path into a setback on a dime. Could the steps one more trick? Will Nate get to the very summit 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 a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path leads to a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as able as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the steps as well. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no hidden trick 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 completely down if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Experience

When I played, I chose the staircase. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call