The Game Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Impactful Decisions I Have Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've encountered some hard decisions in video games. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima ending section made me pause the game for several minutes while I weighed my options. I am responsible for so many Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what possibly is the toughest selection I’ve had to make in gaming — and it concerns a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out, is hardly a selection-based adventure. At least not in any traditional sense. You must explore a expansive environment as the main character Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It seems like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its surprisingly deep narrative that will sneak up on you when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like a key selection that I can’t stop thinking about.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as 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 long time spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all stems from users guiding Nate step by step, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. As he progresses, he meets a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he clumsily declines in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you see numerous irritating episodes 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 game’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his quest, he finds that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail named The Manbreaker. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps includes; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps as an alternative and get to the top in a few minutes. The only caveat? 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 the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is centered around the reality that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Taking on The Challenge could be a instance where he can show that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that road is bound to be laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth suffering just to prove a point?

The staircase, on the flip side, offer Nate an additional crucial instance 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 give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid whenever you find a gift horse. The game world contains intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a setback instantly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be disappointed by a final joke? And more troubling, is he ready to be diminished yet again 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 brings about a real situation of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as able as everyone else, consciously choosing a challenging way rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the steps either. To choose that path is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he does not fall all the way down if he trips. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a chat with the trekker who has, naturally, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can see that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, addressing his new Master, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

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