The Game Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Impactful Choices I've Ever Faced in Video Games

I've dealt with some difficult choices in video games. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments prompted me to set down my controller for around ten minutes while I thought through my choices. I am the cause of numerous Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. None of those moments compare to what possibly is the toughest selection I’ve had to make in a video game — and it concerns a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a choice-driven game. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You only need to navigate a sprawling open world as Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. 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 exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a challenge, as a long time spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all arises from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to others. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he plunges into an inescapable pit and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of 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 game’s one true moment of choice. As Nate nears the end his quest, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided 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 hazardous route called The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game provides; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs in its place and get to the top in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an difficult selection in the game's narrative. 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 reality that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Whenever he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Attempting The Obstacle could be a time where he can show that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely filled with more humiliating failures. Is it worth striving just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in about they turn away a map, but they can choose to provide Nate with respite and opt for the steps. It might seem like an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about causing suspicion whenever you see a simple solution. The world is filled with design traps that transform an easy path into a difficulty suddenly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be let down by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one results in a real situation of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a chance to prove that he’s as competent as everyone else, consciously choosing a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps either. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he does, he realizes that there’s no hidden trick awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall completely down if he falls. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Challenge. He tries to play it cool, but you can discern that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

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