Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Significant Decisions I've Ever Faced in Video Games

I've faced some challenging choices in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence prompted me to set down my controller for around ten minutes while I weighed my options. I am the cause of numerous Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances 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 massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out, is not really a decision-focused experience. At least not in the conventional way. You must walk around a vast game world as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s power lies 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 remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a struggle, as a long time spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all stems from gamers directing Nate step by step, 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 meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and genuinely desires to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route called The Manbreaker. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game provides; taking it seems inadvisable to any human.

But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs instead and get to the top in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an difficult selection in the game's narrative. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is centered around the reality that he’s unconfident of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Taking on The Obstacle could be a time where he can show that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely laden with more humiliating failures. Is it justified striving just to prove a point?

The staircase, 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 allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid each time you encounter an easy option. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a setback on a dime. Are the stairs an additional deception? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be let down by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one results in a genuine moment of character development and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as able as everyone else, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than struggling through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs either. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The staircase is not a trick. They go on for a long time, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, chosen to take The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

My Choice

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