Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Meaningful Choices I Have Ever Experienced in a Game

I've encountered some challenging decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section prompted me to put my controller down for several minutes while I considered my options. I am responsible for countless Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what now might be the hardest choice I’ve had to make in a video game — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out, is not really a choice-driven game. Definitely not in the conventional way. You only need to navigate a sprawling open world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s no situation that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a difficulty, as years spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The physical comedy of it all stems from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to help him out. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be confined in the cavity. During the narrative, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps’s one true moment of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) shows up to tell him that there are two paths upward. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and risky path named The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game has to offer; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs as an alternative and get to the top in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in context. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is focused on the fact that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Attempting The Challenge could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth suffering just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in about they decline guidance, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid anytime you find a gift horse. The environment includes design traps that change a secure way into a setback instantly. Could the steps yet another trap? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished another time by being forced to call an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options leads to a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than suffering through 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 embarrassment in the steps too. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he doesn’t slide completely down if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Challenge. 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 meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call