The Game Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Meaningful Choices I've Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've encountered some challenging decisions in video games. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments prompted me to set down my controller for around ten minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am accountable for numerous Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances compare to what now might be the hardest choice I've faced in interactive media — and it involves a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to explore a vast game world as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is required here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is transported from his family's basement and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a difficulty, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have atrophied his limbs. The physical comedy of it all stems from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to assist him. A composed outdoorsman seeks to provide Nate a guide, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is presented with a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he can manage alone and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you experience no shortage of annoying scenarios where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he discovers that he must ascend of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route called The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps includes; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase instead and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Lord” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Painful Choice

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is focused on the reality that he’s insecure of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Attempting The Obstacle could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be filled with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit suffering just to make a statement?

The staircase, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can opt to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about causing suspicion anytime you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a obstacle suddenly. Is the staircase one more trick? Will Nate get at the peak just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And more troubling, is he ready to be diminished another time by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path leads to a genuine moment of character development and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as competent as anyone else, consciously choosing a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the staircase either. To choose that path is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The staircase is not a trick. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall completely down if he falls. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, opted for The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new 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. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call