The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Impactful Choices I've Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've encountered some hard decisions in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section made me set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I considered my options. I am responsible for countless Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances measure up to what could be the toughest selection I’ve had to make in interactive media — and it involves a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out, is not really a decision-focused experience. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You only need to explore a sprawling open world as Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his wobbly legs. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all stems from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to give him a hand. A self-assured trekker seeks to provide Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you experience no shortage of annoying scenarios where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s one true moment of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route dubbed The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game provides; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a gigantic spiral staircase as an alternative and get to the top in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Master” 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 context. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is centered around the truth that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Attempting The Obstacle could be a instance where he can show that he’s as capable as his unilateral competitor, but that route is sure to be filled with more humiliating failures. Is it justified striving just to make a statement?

The staircase, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in about they decline guidance, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It might seem like an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about causing suspicion anytime you find a gift horse. The environment includes design traps that turn a safe route into a setback instantly. Is the staircase yet another trap? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be disappointed by a final joke? And more concerning, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Both options results in a authentic instance of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as able as others, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps too. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no secret drawback waiting for him. The staircase is not a trick. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he does not fall all the way down if he falls. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, naturally, opted for The Obstacle. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s fatigued, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the deal hardly seems so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

During my game, I selected the steps. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call