The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've dealt with some challenging decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence led me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I considered my choices. I am the cause of numerous Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances compare to what possibly is the hardest choice I've faced in gaming — and it concerns a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out, is not really a choice-driven game. Definitely not in the conventional way. You only need to navigate a vast game world as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that moving around in it is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all arises from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. Throughout his hero’s journey, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A composed outdoorsman seeks to provide Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s key situation of decision. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he realizes that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s up for a challenge, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path called The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game has to offer; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can merely climb a gigantic spiral staircase instead and reach the summit in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the fact that he’s self-conscious of his physique and male identity. Whenever he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of what he fails to be. Taking on The Challenge could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that route is sure to be filled with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit struggling just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about making you feel paranoid whenever you encounter an easy option. The environment includes intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a difficulty on a dime. Could the steps an additional deception? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished once again by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Either one results in a real situation of protagonist evolution and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as competent as anyone else, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs either. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall all the way down if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after lengthy difficulty. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, of course, selected The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can discern that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

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