Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Impactful Decisions I Have Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've encountered some difficult choices in video games. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence led me to put my controller down for around ten minutes while I thought through my choices. I am the cause of countless Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. None of those moments measure up to what possibly is the hardest choice I've faced in gaming — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in the conventional way. You must walk around a expansive environment as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is necessary here. 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 years spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all stems from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to others. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an inescapable pit and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he realizes that he must reach the summit 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 paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path named The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps has to offer; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase as an alternative and get to the top in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a hard reminder of what he fails to be. Taking on The Challenge could be a moment where he can show that he’s as capable as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely filled with more humiliating failures. Is it justified striving just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment 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 opt to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion whenever you see a simple solution. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a setback on a dime. Is the staircase one more trick? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be fooled by an ending prank? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being compelled to refer to a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Either one results in a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a moment to show that he’s as competent as others, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the staircase 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 real catch waiting 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 completely down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, addressing his new Master, the deal hardly seems so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

My Choice

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