Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Encountered in a Game

I've faced some difficult decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section led me to pause the game for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my options. I am accountable for countless Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. None of those moments compare to what possibly is the most difficult decision I've ever made in gaming — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out, is hardly a decision-focused experience. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You only need to navigate a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It looks like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato 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.

Nate requires assistance, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to assist him. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an inescapable pit and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s key situation of decision. As Nate nears the end his adventure, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to let him know 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 formidable barrier Baby Steps game includes; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase as an alternative and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an difficult selection in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is centered around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a moment where he can show that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that route is sure to be filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified suffering just to prove a point?

The steps, on the contrary, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in if they decline guidance, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It might seem like an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt whenever you see a simple solution. The environment includes planned obstacles that change a secure way into a obstacle on a dime. Are the stairs one more trick? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be fooled by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path leads to a real situation of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as others, consciously choosing a difficult route rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps too. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he finds that there’s no secret drawback waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he does not fall all the way down if he trips. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

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