The Game Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Meaningful Choices I Have Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've dealt with some hard choices in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence led me to set down my controller for several minutes while I weighed my choices. I am the cause of so many Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances measure up to what could be the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in a video game — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, is not really a choice-driven game. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You must navigate a expansive environment as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a struggle, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all comes 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 collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to help him out. A composed outdoorsman seeks to provide Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate nears the end his adventure, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s up for a challenge, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route named The Manbreaker. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game has to offer; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase in its place and get to the top in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Painful Choice

I am very serious when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in a single ridiculous instant. An element of Nate's story is revolves around the fact that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Attempting The Challenge could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be filled with more humiliating failures. Is it worth struggling just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the contrary, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to either accept or reject help. The player has no choice in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt each time you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with planned obstacles that change a secure way into a obstacle on a dime. Are the stairs one more trick? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be fooled by a final joke? And more concerning, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Either one results in a authentic instance of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as capable as anyone else, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than struggling through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase too. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he does, he realizes that there’s no real catch in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip all the way down if he falls. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, opted for The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call