The Game Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Meaningful Decisions I've Ever Encountered in a Game

I've faced some hard decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section prompted me to put my controller down for several minutes while I weighed my choices. I am responsible for countless Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. None of those moments compare to what could be the toughest selection I’ve had to make in gaming — and it involves a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. Certainly not in the conventional way. You simply have to navigate a expansive environment as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes 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 comes from players controlling Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to assist him. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he can manage alone and truly prefers to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you experience no shortage of frustrating vignettes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can choose a very lengthy and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps includes; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs as an alternative and reach the summit in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a time where he can prove that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be paved with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth striving just to make a statement?

The steps, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt whenever you encounter an easy option. The environment includes planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a setback instantly. Could the steps an additional deception? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be let down by some last-second gag? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated another time by being forced to call an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Both options results in a real situation of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as others, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the stairs too. To choose that path is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall completely down if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

My Choice

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