Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I've Ever Faced in a Game

I've faced some hard decisions in video games. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments prompted me to put my controller down for around ten minutes while I weighed my choices. I am responsible for so many Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what possibly is the most difficult decision I've faced in gaming — and it concerns a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out, is not really a decision-focused experience. Certainly not in the conventional way. You must explore a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can barely stand on his unsteady feet. It appears to be one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that walking through it is a difficulty, as years spent as a inactive individual have atrophied his limbs. The physical comedy of it all comes from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a map, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate makes life harder for himself 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 approaches the conclusion his quest, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two ways up. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and risky path named The Manbreaker. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game has to offer; attempting it appears unwise to anyone.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps in its place and reach the summit in a short time. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” 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 the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself culminating in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the truth that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Taking on The Challenge could be a instance where he can prove that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth suffering just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to choose whether to take assistance or not. The player has no choice in if they decline guidance, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt whenever you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a setback suddenly. Could the steps one more trick? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished once again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path leads to a authentic instance of character development and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the staircase either. To choose that path is to eventually enable Nate to receive assistance. And when he accomplishes that, he finds that there’s no real catch in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he does not fall to the bottom if he trips. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, of course, selected The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Experience

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