The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've dealt with some hard choices in interactive entertainment. Several of my selections in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section made me put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my choices. I am responsible for so many Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations compare to what now might be the toughest selection I've ever made in a video game — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out, is not really a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in the conventional way. You only need to navigate a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a struggle, as years spent as a inactive individual have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all comes from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. During his adventure, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A self-assured trekker seeks to provide Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is given a way out, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too self-conscious to take support.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he realizes 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) appears to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long and risky path named The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and reach the summit in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Lord” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

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 reaching a climax in a particularly bizarre situation. Part of Nate’s journey is centered around the reality that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a time where he can show that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified striving just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in if they reject navigation help, but they can opt to give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It ought to be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about causing suspicion whenever you see a simple solution. The game world contains design traps that transform an easy path into a setback suddenly. Is the staircase yet another trap? Will Nate get at the peak just to be fooled by an ending prank? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one results in a genuine moment of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as capable as anyone else, willingly taking on a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs too. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall all the way down if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, naturally, chosen to take The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

In my playthrough, I chose the staircase. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call