Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Meaningful Decisions I Have Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've dealt with some difficult decisions in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section prompted me to set down my controller for around ten minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am the cause of countless Krogan demises in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what possibly is the hardest choice I’ve had to make in gaming — and it concerns a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out game, is not really a choice-driven game. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to navigate a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It looks like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will surprise 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

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps game begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a difficulty, as years spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all stems from players controlling Nate gradually, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to others. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who all offer to assist him. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an inescapable pit and is presented with a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of irritating episodes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate nears the end his adventure, he realizes that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail named The Obstacle. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game has to offer; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs in its place and reach the summit in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in a particularly bizarre situation. Part of Nate’s journey is centered around the truth that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a difficult memory of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Challenge could be a moment where he can show that he’s as capable as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely paved with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth striving just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the other hand, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to choose whether to take assistance or not. The player has no choice in if they reject navigation help, but they can opt to provide Nate with respite and opt for the steps. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt anytime you find a gift horse. The world is filled with design traps that transform an easy path into a obstacle suddenly. Could the steps yet another trap? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And more troubling, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path leads to a genuine moment of protagonist evolution and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate eventually obtains a moment to show that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no disgrace in the stairs too. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he does so, he finds 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 does not fall completely down if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, of course, opted for The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

My Choice

When I played, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call