Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Impactful Choices I've Ever Faced in Gaming

I've encountered some hard decisions in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments made me set down my controller for several minutes while I thought through my alternatives. I am accountable for countless Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations compare to what could be the hardest choice I've faced in interactive media — and it concerns a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out, is hardly a decision-focused experience. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You simply have to navigate a expansive environment as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It seems 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 demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that moving around in it is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all comes from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he discovers 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) appears to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can opt for a particularly extended and risky path called The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs in its place and reach the summit in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the truth that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a instance where he can show that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be laden with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified striving just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to choose whether to take assistance or not. The player has no choice in if they turn away a map, but they can choose to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid whenever you encounter an easy option. The environment includes planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a obstacle on a dime. Is the staircase an additional deception? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be let down by a final joke? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated another time by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options results in a authentic instance of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as capable as anyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the staircase too. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no real catch in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he does not fall to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, naturally, selected The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

Personal Reflection

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