The Game Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Faced in Video Games

I've dealt with some hard decisions in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section made me pause the game for around ten minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am accountable for countless Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. None of those moments hold a candle to what possibly is the most difficult decision I've ever made in gaming — and it involves a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You only need to walk around a vast game world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like a key selection that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a challenge, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all arises from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to assist him. A self-assured trekker 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 given a way out, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s key situation of selection. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he realizes that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail called The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase as an alternative and arrive at the peak in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in context. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself culminating in a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the reality that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Whenever he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a difficult memory of what he fails to be. Attempting The Challenge could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely laden with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit suffering just to make a statement?

The staircase, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment 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 opt for the steps. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid whenever you encounter an easy option. The game world contains design traps that transform an easy path into a setback instantly. Could the steps an additional deception? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And more troubling, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path brings about a genuine moment of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as capable as anyone else, willingly taking on a tough path rather than struggling through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the staircase either. To choose that path is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The staircase is not a trick. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide completely down if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Choice

In my playthrough, I chose the staircase. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call