Baby Steps Features One of the Most Significant Decisions I've Ever Encountered in a Game

I've encountered some challenging choices in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence made me put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I considered my options. I am responsible for so many Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what could be the hardest choice I've ever made in interactive media — and it concerns a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out, is hardly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You only need to walk around a expansive environment as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a difficulty, as years spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all comes from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has trouble voicing that to others. As he progresses, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an inescapable pit and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be confined in the cavity. During the narrative, you experience no shortage of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate nears the end his quest, he finds that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game includes; attempting it appears unwise to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase in its place and reach the summit in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious 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. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the reality that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, 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 imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be paved with more humiliating failures. Is it justified striving just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about causing suspicion anytime you see a simple solution. The world is filled with planned obstacles that change a secure way into a setback instantly. Could the steps one more trick? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And more troubling, is he ready to be diminished another time by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Both options brings about a authentic instance of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as anyone else, consciously choosing a difficult route rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase either. 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 go on for a long time, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he doesn’t slide to the bottom if he falls. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Experience

During my game, I selected the steps. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call