Baby Steps Features One of the Most Impactful Decisions I've Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've dealt with some difficult choices in interactive entertainment. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section made me set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my alternatives. I am accountable for so many Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what could be the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in a video game — and it involves a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out, is hardly a decision-focused experience. At least not in the conventional way. You simply have to navigate a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will sneak up on you when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps starts when Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that moving around in it is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all stems from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to anyone. As he progresses, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an unavoidable hole and is given a way out, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail called The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps provides; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and get to the top in a few minutes. 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 absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Attempting The Challenge could be a instance where he can show that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be filled with more humiliating failures. Does it merit suffering just to make a statement?

The steps, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The player has no choice in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt each time you find a gift horse. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a difficulty on a dime. Are the stairs yet another trap? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be disappointed by a final joke? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Either one results in a authentic instance of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as anyone else, consciously choosing a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the dose of confidence that he craves.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps either. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he finds that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall all the way down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s fatigued, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call