Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Significant Decisions I Have Ever Experienced in a Game

I've encountered some hard choices in interactive entertainment. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments prompted me to put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my choices. I am accountable for so many Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what possibly is the hardest choice I’ve had to make in a video game — and it involves a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out game, is hardly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You simply have to explore a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like a key selection that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a difficulty, as years spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all stems from users guiding Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to assist him. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he finds that he must reach the summit of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can take an extremely long and risky path named The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and arrive at the peak in a short time. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself reaching a climax in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the reality that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Taking on The Obstacle could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified striving just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to choose whether to take assistance or not. The player has no choice in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and opt for the steps. It might seem like an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt anytime you encounter an easy option. The game world contains planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a difficulty suddenly. Could the steps yet another trap? Will Nate get at the peak just to be let down by an ending prank? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated yet again by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path results in a real situation of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as competent as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than enduring 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 requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps either. To opt for that way is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall to the bottom if he falls. It’s a straightforward ascent after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, of course, selected The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s fatigued, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

My Choice

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call