The Game Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've encountered some challenging decisions in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima ending section prompted me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my options. I am the cause of so many Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what now might be the toughest selection I've ever made in gaming — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the developers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You must navigate a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It looks like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a struggle, as years spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all arises from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a collection of quirky personalities in the world who all offer to help him out. A self-assured trekker tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of choice. As Nate nears the end his quest, he finds that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two paths upward. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Challenge. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to anyone.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase instead and get to the top in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Master” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the truth that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a time where he can show that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth suffering just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance 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 take the stairs. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about making you feel paranoid each time you encounter an easy option. The game world contains planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a difficulty suddenly. Are the stairs one more trick? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be let down by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being compelled to refer to a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path brings about a genuine moment of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as capable as anyone else, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase too. To opt for that way is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he finds that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip all the way down if he falls. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, naturally, chosen to take The Obstacle. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s worn out, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

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