I've encountered some hard choices in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section made me put my controller down for several minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am accountable for countless Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances compare to what possibly is the hardest choice I've faced in gaming — and it involves a massive stairway.
Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out, is hardly a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in the conventional way. You must explore a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.
Spoiler Warning
Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The slapstick elements of it all comes from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.
Nate needs help, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. During his adventure, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to assist him. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, 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 genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.
The Defining Decision
This culminates in Baby Steps’s one true moment of selection. As Nate nears the end his adventure, he finds that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can opt for a particularly extended and risky path named The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game has to offer; attempting it appears unwise to any human.
But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase in its place and reach the summit in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.
An Agonizing Decision
I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is focused on the reality that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Undertaking The Obstacle 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 humiliating failures. Is it justified suffering just to make a statement?
The steps, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in if 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 remarkably shrewd about making you feel paranoid each time you find a gift horse. The environment includes planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a obstacle instantly. Are the stairs one more trick? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be let down by an ending prank? And more concerning, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being made to address some weirdo Lord?
No Right or Wrong
The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options results in a real situation of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.
But there’s no disgrace in the steps either. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall all the way down if he trips. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Obstacle. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?
Personal Reflection
When I played, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call
