Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've faced some hard choices in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence led me to pause the game for several minutes while I thought through my options. I am the cause of countless 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 toughest selection I've ever made in a video game — and it involves a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a choice-driven game. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You simply have to navigate a sprawling open world as Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps begins as 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 difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all arises from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to others. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to assist him. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s one true moment of decision. As Nate nears the end his journey, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can opt for a particularly extended and risky path called The Manbreaker. 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 just walk up a massive winding stairs instead and get to the top in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am very serious when I say that this is an difficult selection in this situation. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself culminating in a particularly bizarre situation. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the reality that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified suffering just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the other hand, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to choose whether to take assistance or not. The player has no choice in about they reject navigation help, but they can decide to give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It should be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid anytime you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a difficulty on a dime. Could the steps an additional deception? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be let down by some last-second gag? And more troubling, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being made to address 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 brings about a genuine moment of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as anyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the steps as well. To choose that path is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip to the bottom if he trips. It’s a simple climb after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

My Experience

During my game, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call