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

I've dealt with some hard decisions in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence prompted me to put my controller down for around ten minutes while I thought through my choices. I am accountable for numerous Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. None of those moments compare to what possibly is the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in gaming — and it involves a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You must explore a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a challenge, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all arises from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to other characters. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to help him out. A self-assured trekker attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s key situation of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he finds that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s prepared for difficulty, 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 other possibility: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase instead and get to the top in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in the game's narrative. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the fact that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Undertaking The Challenge could be a time where he can show that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be laden with more humiliating failures. Is it worth suffering just to prove a point?

The staircase, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in if they reject navigation help, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid each time you encounter an easy option. The game world contains planned obstacles that change a secure way into a setback on a dime. Is the staircase yet another trap? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options results in a authentic instance of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as competent as anyone else, willingly taking on a challenging way 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 needs.

But there’s no shame in the stairs too. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he finds that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall all the way down if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, opted for The Challenge. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

When I played, I opted for the stairs. Part of me just {wanted to call