The Game Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Impactful Decisions I Have Ever Faced in Video Games

I've faced some hard choices in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments made me pause the game for around ten minutes while I considered my options. I am the cause of numerous Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations compare to what now might be the most difficult decision I've ever made in a video game — and it concerns a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out, is hardly a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You only need to explore a vast game world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will surprise you when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps game begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a challenge, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all arises from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to others. As he progresses, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate nears the end his quest, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps includes; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a gigantic spiral staircase instead and arrive at the peak in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. An element of Nate's story is centered around the reality that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a time where he can prove that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely filled with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit striving just to demonstrate something?

The steps, on the contrary, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt whenever you find a gift horse. The environment includes design traps that change a secure way into a obstacle instantly. Is the staircase yet another trap? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And more troubling, is he ready to be diminished once again by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Either one brings about a real situation of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as anyone else, consciously choosing a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs as well. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall all the way down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the hiker who has, naturally, chosen to take The Challenge. He tries to play it cool, but you can discern that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

My Choice

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