The Game Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Significant Choices I Have Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've dealt with some hard decisions in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence led me to set down my controller for several minutes while I weighed my options. I am accountable for so many Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances measure up to what possibly is the toughest selection I’ve had to make in gaming — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a choice-driven game. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to walk around a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It looks like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s no situation that showcases that quality like a key selection that remains on my mind.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is transported from his family's basement and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all arises from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you experience no shortage of irritating episodes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of decision. As Nate nears the end his adventure, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail named The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps provides; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase as an alternative and arrive at the peak in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in context. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Each instance 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 capable as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth struggling just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The player has no choice in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about causing suspicion anytime you encounter an easy option. The environment includes planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a setback suddenly. Is the staircase one more trick? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be let down by an ending prank? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished once again by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one leads to a real situation of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as able as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no disgrace in the staircase as well. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no hidden trick awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he does not fall completely down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the hiker who has, naturally, selected The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Experience

During my game, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call