I've faced some hard choices in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section led me to put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my options. I am accountable for countless Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what now might be the most difficult decision I've faced in gaming — and it has to do with a massive stairway.
The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. At least not in typical gaming terms. You must explore a vast game world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.
Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that moving around in it is a challenge, as years spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all arises from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.
The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to other characters. As he progresses, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to help him out. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is given a way out, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.
That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he discovers that he must ascend of a snow-capped peak. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path called The Manbreaker. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game has to offer; choosing it looks risky to anyone.
But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase as an alternative and arrive at the peak in a short time. The only caveat? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.
I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the reality that he’s unconfident of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of what he fails to be. Taking on The Obstacle could be a time where he can show that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be laden with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit striving just to prove a point?
The steps, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in if they decline guidance, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid whenever you find a gift horse. The game world contains planned obstacles that change a secure way into a difficulty suddenly. Could the steps one more trick? Will Nate get at the peak just to be let down by a final joke? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being made to address an odd character as Lord?
The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one brings about a genuine moment of character development and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as anyone else, consciously choosing a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.
But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs too. To choose that path is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he doesn’t slide all the way down if he trips. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, of course, chosen to take The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?
During my game, I chose the staircase. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call
Elara is a seasoned writer and digital storyteller with a passion for exploring diverse literary genres and empowering others through words.
