The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Impactful Choices I Have Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've encountered some hard decisions in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments made me put my controller down for several minutes while I considered my choices. I am responsible for countless Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what could be the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in gaming — and it involves a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out, is not really a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You only need to navigate a vast game world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will sneak up on you when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like a key selection that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have atrophied his limbs. 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 trouble voicing that to other characters. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman seeks to provide Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you experience no shortage of frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s key situation of selection. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he realizes that he must reach the summit of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can opt for a particularly extended and risky path named The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps has to offer; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase as an alternative and get to the top in just moments. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am very serious when I say that this is an agonizing choice in the game's narrative. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the fact that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Undertaking The Challenge could be a moment where he can show that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be paved with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit suffering just to demonstrate something?

The steps, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in about they reject navigation help, but they can decide to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid anytime you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with design traps that turn a safe route into a obstacle on a dime. Could the steps one more trick? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be let down by a final joke? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated another time by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path brings about a real situation of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a moment to show that he’s as competent as anyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the steps as well. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he doesn’t slide completely down if he falls. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the hiker who has, of course, opted for The Obstacle. He tries to play it cool, but you can discern that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

When I played, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call