The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I've Ever Faced in Gaming

I've faced some difficult choices in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence led me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my options. I am responsible for so many Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what could be the hardest choice I've faced in a video game — and it involves a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to navigate a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that I can’t stop thinking about.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps game starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a struggle, as a long time spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The slapstick elements of it all stems from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. During his adventure, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he tries to play it off like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s key situation of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail called The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game includes; taking it seems inadvisable to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs in its place and arrive at the peak in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the reality that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of what he fails to be. Taking on The Challenge could be a instance where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be filled with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth suffering just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The player has no choice in about they reject navigation help, but they can opt to give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It should be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt anytime you see a simple solution. The environment includes planned obstacles that change a secure way into a obstacle suddenly. Could the steps one more trick? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be fooled by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he prepared to be humiliated another time by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options results in a authentic instance of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as able as anyone else, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the staircase as well. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he does so, he discovers 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 extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting 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 unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

Personal Reflection

During my game, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call