Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Faced in Gaming

I've faced some challenging choices in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments led me to pause the game for around ten minutes while I weighed my choices. I am the cause of countless Krogan fatalities 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 had to make in gaming — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the creators of Ape Out, is hardly a choice-driven game. At least not in the conventional way. You must explore a vast game world as Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like a key selection that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps game starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a struggle, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all arises from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to assist him. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a guide, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he finds that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) appears to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can take an extremely long and risky path dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game provides; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs as an alternative and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Master” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in context. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. Part of Nate’s journey is centered around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that route is sure to be filled with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified suffering just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the contrary, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The gamer cannot choose in if they decline guidance, but they can opt to give Nate a break and take the stairs. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid anytime you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with design traps that turn a safe route into a difficulty suddenly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be fooled by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options results in a genuine moment of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as competent as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no disgrace in the staircase as well. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he does, he finds that there’s no hidden trick in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip all the way down if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

My Choice

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