The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Significant Decisions I Have Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've dealt with some difficult decisions in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments made me pause the game for a good 10 minutes while I thought through my alternatives. I am responsible for countless Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what could be the toughest selection I've ever made in gaming — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to navigate a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is transported from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He immediately finds that walking through it is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all arises from users guiding Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. During his adventure, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he finds that he must ascend of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long and risky path called The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game has to offer; attempting it appears unwise 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 call the groundskeeper “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in context. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story 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 hard reminder of everything he’s not. Taking on The Obstacle could be a time where he can show that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be laden with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit striving just to prove a point?

The staircase, on the other hand, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to choose whether to take assistance or not. The user doesn't get to decide in if they reject navigation help, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about causing suspicion anytime you see a simple solution. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a difficulty suddenly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path leads to a real situation of personal growth and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as able as anyone else, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the steps as well. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to take support. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip all the way down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, of course, chosen to take The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

My Experience

When I played, I selected the steps. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call