The Game Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Meaningful Decisions I've Ever Faced in a Game

I've encountered some hard choices in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section prompted me to pause the game for around ten minutes while I considered my choices. I am responsible for numerous Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what could be the toughest selection I've faced in interactive media — and it concerns a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the developers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in the conventional way. You only need to walk around a expansive environment as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that walking through it is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all stems from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to help him out. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. During the narrative, you experience no shortage of frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of selection. As Nate nears the end his quest, he finds that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and risky path called The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase in its place and get to the top in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an agonizing choice in context. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in a single ridiculous instant. An element of Nate's story is focused on the reality that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Taking on The Challenge could be a time where he can show that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be filled with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth striving just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to choose whether to take assistance or not. The player has no choice in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can opt to give Nate a break 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 design traps that change a secure way into a difficulty suddenly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get at the peak just to be let down by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path results in a real situation of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no disgrace in the staircase as well. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he finds that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They go on for a long time, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he doesn’t slide completely down if he falls. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

When I played, I selected the steps. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call