Baby Steps Features One of the Most Significant Choices I've Ever Faced in Video Games

I've encountered some challenging choices in video games. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section led me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am accountable for so many Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. None of those moments compare to what could be the toughest selection I've faced in a video game — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out, is not really a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You only need to navigate a vast game world as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that demonstrates that power like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps starts when Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes that walking through it is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a inactive individual have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all arises from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who all offer to help him out. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a map, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an inescapable pit and is presented with a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of choice. As Nate nears the end his journey, he finds that he must climb to the top of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps provides; attempting it appears unwise to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase instead and get to the top in a short time. The sole condition? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the truth that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Taking on The Challenge could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified striving just to prove a point?

The staircase, on the contrary, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in about they reject navigation help, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It ought to be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about creating doubt whenever you find a gift horse. The game world contains intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a setback suddenly. Is the staircase yet another trap? Could Nate reach at the peak just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished another time by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path results in a real situation of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as capable as everyone else, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s difficult, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps either. To choose that path is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide to the bottom if he trips. It’s a simple climb after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, naturally, opted for The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the arrangement scarcely looks so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

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