The Game Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Impactful Choices I Have Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've encountered some challenging decisions in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments made me set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am accountable for numerous Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what possibly is the most difficult decision I've ever made in a video game — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out, is not really a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in the conventional way. You must explore a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps game starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that walking through it is a struggle, as a long time spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all comes from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. During his adventure, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a guide, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too self-conscious to take support.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he discovers that he must ascend of a snow-capped peak. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route called The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps has to offer; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase instead and reach the summit in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am completely earnest 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 one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the truth that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit struggling just to make a statement?

The steps, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in about they decline guidance, but they can decide to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt whenever you see a simple solution. The game world contains design traps that transform an easy path into a difficulty suddenly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get to the very summit just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished once again by being forced to call a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options brings about a authentic instance of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate eventually obtains a moment to show that he’s as capable as others, willingly taking on a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the staircase either. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he finds that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re simple to climb and he doesn’t slide completely down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the hiker who has, naturally, chosen to take The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

My Choice

When I played, I selected the steps. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call