Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Meaningful Choices I've Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've dealt with some hard choices in video games. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima ending section prompted me to put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my choices. I am the cause of countless Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. None of those moments hold a candle to what now might be the hardest choice I've faced in a video game — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You only need to walk around a vast game world as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will sneak up on you when you’re least expecting it. There’s no moment that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all comes from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to other characters. During his adventure, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to help him out. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he can manage alone and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps’s one true moment of selection. As Nate nears the end his quest, he finds that he must climb to the top of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail called The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game includes; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs instead and arrive at the peak in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Undertaking The Challenge could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely paved with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified suffering just to prove a point?

The staircase, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about causing suspicion whenever you see a simple solution. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a difficulty suddenly. Could the steps yet another trap? Will Nate get at the peak just to be disappointed by a final joke? And more troubling, is he ready to be diminished another time by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Either one leads to a real situation of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as others, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps either. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he doesn’t slide completely down if he falls. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, of course, chosen to take The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Experience

When I played, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call