The Game Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've encountered some hard decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments led me to pause the game for several minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am responsible for so many Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations compare to what now might be the hardest choice I've ever made in interactive media — and it concerns a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out game, is not really a decision-focused experience. At least not in the conventional way. You only need to explore a vast game world as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It looks like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’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 demonstrates that power like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that walking through it is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all stems from players controlling Nate one step at a time, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. As he progresses, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an inescapable pit 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. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too self-conscious to take support.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he finds that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long and risky path dubbed The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps includes; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps in its place and arrive at the peak in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in the game's narrative. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the truth that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Attempting The Challenge could be a instance where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely filled with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified struggling just to prove a point?

The steps, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to choose whether to take assistance or not. The player has no choice in if they reject navigation help, but they can choose to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion each time you encounter an easy option. The environment includes design traps that turn a safe route into a difficulty on a dime. Could the steps yet another trap? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path brings about a authentic instance of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as anyone else, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the steps either. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, 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 straightforward to ascend and he does not fall to the bottom if he trips. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, naturally, opted for The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

In my playthrough, I selected the steps. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call