The Game Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Impactful Choices I've Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've faced some difficult decisions in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence led me to put my controller down for around ten minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am accountable for numerous Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what possibly is the toughest selection I've ever made in a video game — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out, is not really a choice-driven game. At least not in the conventional way. You must navigate a expansive environment as Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his wobbly legs. It appears to be a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is transported from his family's basement and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that moving around in it is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all comes from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to help him out. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he clumsily declines in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he finds that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two ways up. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route named The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps provides; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase instead and arrive at the peak in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Difficult Selection

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 culminating in a single ridiculous instant. An element of Nate's story is centered around the reality that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a moment where he can show that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified striving just to demonstrate something?

The steps, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion each time you find a gift horse. The world is filled with planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a difficulty instantly. Is the staircase one more trick? Could Nate reach at the peak just to be let down by some last-second gag? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options brings about a genuine moment of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a moment to show that he’s as capable as anyone else, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s difficult, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps too. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no hidden trick awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall all the way down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call