The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Significant Decisions I've Ever Encountered in Gaming

I've encountered some difficult decisions in video games. Several of my selections in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence made me set down my controller for several minutes while I weighed my choices. I am the cause of countless Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. None of those moments compare to what could be the most difficult decision I've faced in interactive media — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the newest release from the developers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. Certainly not in the conventional way. You simply have to navigate a sprawling open world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It looks like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will surprise you when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that walking through it is a challenge, as years spent as a couch potato have atrophied his limbs. The humorous physicality of it all stems from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to other characters. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a map, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, 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) comes to let him know that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and risky path named The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps has to offer; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps instead and reach the summit in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself reaching a climax in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is centered around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a difficult memory of what he fails to be. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely filled with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified striving just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the other hand, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to choose whether to take assistance or not. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can decide to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid anytime you see a simple solution. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that turn a safe route into a difficulty suddenly. Is the staircase yet another trap? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be let down by some last-second gag? And more troubling, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path brings about a authentic instance of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as competent as everyone else, consciously choosing a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the steps too. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to take support. And when he does so, he discovers that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he won't slip all the way down if he trips. 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 Obstacle. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

When I played, I opted for the stairs. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call