The Game Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Meaningful Decisions I've Ever Faced in Video Games

I've encountered some hard decisions in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence made me set down my controller for around ten minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am accountable for countless Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations compare to what now might be the most difficult decision I've ever made in interactive media — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the developers of Ape Out game, is not really a decision-focused experience. Certainly not in the conventional way. You only need to navigate a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s no moment that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all stems from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to assist him. A self-assured trekker tries to give Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he plunges into an trapping cavity 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 encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s key situation of selection. As Nate nears the end his quest, he realizes that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two routes to the top. 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; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs as an alternative and get to the top in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

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 culminating in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the fact that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Taking on The Challenge could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely laden with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth striving just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can decide to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about causing suspicion whenever you see a simple solution. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that transform an easy path into a obstacle on a dime. Are the stairs one more trick? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And more troubling, is he willing to be emasculated yet again by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path leads to a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as competent as others, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the dose of confidence that he craves.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps as well. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he finds that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip completely down if he trips. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

In my playthrough, I chose the staircase. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call