Baby Steps Features Among the Most Impactful Choices I Have Ever Faced in Video Games

I've encountered some difficult decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence led me to put my controller down for a good 10 minutes while I considered my choices. I am responsible for numerous Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what could be the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in gaming — and it involves a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out game, is hardly a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You simply have to walk around a sprawling open world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will surprise you when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a struggle, as a long time spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all comes from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to help him out. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he plunges into an unavoidable hole and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he discovers that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) appears to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and risky path named The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game includes; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase as an alternative and get to the top in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the reality that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Whenever he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Attempting The Obstacle could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be filled with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit striving just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the other hand, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid anytime you find a gift horse. The game world contains design traps that transform an easy path into a obstacle suddenly. Could the steps yet another trap? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be fooled by a final joke? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options leads to a genuine moment of personal growth and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as others, consciously choosing a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps either. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to take support. And when he does so, he discovers that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The staircase is not a trick. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he doesn’t slide completely down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after hours of struggle. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

When I played, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call