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

I've encountered some hard decisions in gaming. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section led me to put my controller down for several minutes while I thought through my alternatives. I am responsible for so many Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what could be the most difficult decision I've ever made in interactive media — and it concerns a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, is not really a selection-based adventure. At least not in any traditional sense. You simply have to navigate a vast game world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all arises from players controlling Nate one step at a time, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. As he progresses, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to help him out. A composed outdoorsman seeks to provide Nate a map, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he requires no assistance and truly prefers to be confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you experience no shortage of frustrating vignettes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he realizes 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) shows up to tell him that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and dangerous hiking trail called The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game provides; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase as an alternative and arrive at the peak in a short time. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Master” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the reality that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a hard reminder of what he fails to be. Attempting The Challenge could be a instance where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be paved with more humiliating failures. Is it justified suffering just to make a statement?

The steps, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The player has no choice in about they decline guidance, but they can decide to give Nate a break and take the stairs. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid anytime you find a gift horse. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a obstacle instantly. Are the stairs an additional deception? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be disappointed by a final joke? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished yet 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 perfect selection. Each path brings about a authentic instance of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as anyone else, consciously choosing a challenging way 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 requires.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps either. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no secret drawback waiting for him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip to the bottom if he trips. It’s a simple climb after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, of course, chosen to take The Challenge. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

My Experience

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