The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Impactful Choices I've Ever Faced in a Game

I've dealt with some challenging decisions in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section led me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my options. I am responsible for numerous Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. None of those moments hold a candle to what now might be the most difficult decision I've ever made in gaming — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out game, is hardly a decision-focused experience. At least not in typical gaming terms. You only need to explore a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when it's most unexpected. There’s no situation that exemplifies that strength like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a challenge, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The physical comedy of it all stems from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to help him out. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you experience no shortage of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Defining Decision

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate nears the end his quest, he finds that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route named The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game includes; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs as an alternative and get to the top in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in context. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is focused on the fact that he’s insecure of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Challenge could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be filled with more humiliating failures. Is it worth striving just to make a statement?

The steps, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in if they reject navigation help, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion anytime you find a gift horse. The world is filled with design traps that change a secure way into a setback instantly. Is the staircase one more trick? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be fooled by a final joke? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished another time by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path brings about a real situation of character development and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Challenge, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as competent as everyone else, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the dose of confidence that he requires.

But there’s no shame in the staircase too. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip all the way down if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, of course, selected The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call