Baby Steps Features One of the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've dealt with some difficult choices in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section made me pause the game for around ten minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am accountable for numerous Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. None of those moments measure up to what now might be the most difficult decision I've faced in gaming — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out, is not really a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You simply have to navigate a expansive environment as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s no situation that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all stems from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to other characters. During his adventure, he meets a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to assist him. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a map, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate nears the end his quest, he finds that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail named The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game includes; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase instead 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.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself culminating in a single ridiculous instant. An element of Nate's story is centered around the truth that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely laden with more humiliating failures. Is it worth suffering just to make a statement?

The steps, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in if they decline guidance, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about creating doubt whenever you find a gift horse. The game world contains planned obstacles that change a secure way into a obstacle suddenly. Are the stairs yet another trap? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be fooled by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he prepared to be humiliated another time by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Either one results in a real situation of personal growth and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as others, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the staircase too. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he finds that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip completely down if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, of course, selected The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

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