The Game Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Meaningful Choices I Have Ever Encountered in a Game

I've dealt with some difficult decisions in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section made me put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my options. I am responsible for numerous Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations compare to what could be the hardest choice I've ever made in a video game — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out, is not really a decision-focused experience. At least not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to navigate a vast game world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It looks like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all comes from users guiding 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. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to assist him. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you see numerous 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 game’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate nears the end his quest, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path named The Manbreaker. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps includes; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs as an alternative and get to the top in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he takes the easy route.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is focused on the reality that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of everything he’s not. Attempting The Challenge could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his unilateral competitor, but that route is sure to be laden with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit striving just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in if they turn away a map, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid whenever you encounter an easy option. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a obstacle instantly. Are the stairs one more trick? Will Nate get at the peak just to be fooled by an ending prank? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being forced to call a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Either one results in a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Challenge, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as competent as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase either. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he finds that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he doesn’t slide completely down if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after hours of struggle. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

My Choice

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. Part of me just {wanted to call