Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Impactful Choices I Have Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've dealt with some difficult choices in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence made me pause the game for around ten minutes while I thought through my choices. I am the cause of countless Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what now might be the toughest selection I've faced in gaming — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out game, is not really a choice-driven game. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to navigate a vast game world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that exemplifies that strength like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a difficulty, as years spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all arises from players controlling Nate one step at a time, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A self-assured trekker seeks to provide Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate nears the end his adventure, he realizes that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path named The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps has to offer; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can merely climb a gigantic spiral staircase as an alternative and reach the summit in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an agonizing choice in the game's narrative. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself reaching a climax in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is revolves around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of everything he’s not. Attempting The Obstacle could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that road is bound to be filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified striving just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in if they reject navigation help, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt whenever you see a simple solution. The game world contains design traps that turn a safe route into a setback on a dime. Is the staircase one more trick? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be fooled by an ending prank? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being compelled to refer to a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path brings about a real situation of personal growth and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as everyone else, willingly taking on a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, 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 accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, of course, chosen to take The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

My Experience

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