The Game Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Impactful Decisions I've Ever Faced in Gaming

I've dealt with some challenging decisions in video games. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence made me set down my controller for several minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am the cause of so many 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 massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the developers of Ape Out, is not really a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You must walk around a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will sneak up on you when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a struggle, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all stems from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, 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 composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is given a way out, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he finds that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps has to offer; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs in its place and reach the summit in just moments. The only caveat? 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 context. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself reaching a climax in a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the reality that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Whenever he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a instance where he can show that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be paved with more humiliating failures. Is it worth struggling just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in if they decline guidance, but they can opt to give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt each time you find a gift horse. The environment includes design traps that transform an easy path into a setback suddenly. Could the steps yet another trap? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be let down by a final joke? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated another time by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path leads to a real situation of character development and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as capable as others, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs too. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The steps are not a joke. They go on for a long time, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip completely down if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, of course, selected The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s fatigued, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top 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?

Personal Reflection

During my game, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call