Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Impactful Decisions I Have Ever Faced in Video Games

I've dealt with some hard decisions in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence made me pause the game for a good 10 minutes while I considered my options. I am the cause of so many Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what could be the most difficult decision I've faced in interactive media — and it concerns a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the developers of Ape Out game, is not really a decision-focused experience. Certainly not in the conventional way. You simply have to explore a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Spoiler Warning

Some background information is necessary here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that walking through it is a challenge, as a long time spent as a sedentary person have atrophied his limbs. The physical comedy of it all comes from players controlling Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to others. During his adventure, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to help him out. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he plunges into an unavoidable hole and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he can manage alone and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you experience no shortage of frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s one true moment of selection. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he finds that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s up for a challenge, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps includes; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps in its place and get to the top in a short time. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an difficult selection in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is revolves around the truth that he’s insecure of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of what he fails to be. Taking on The Obstacle could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified suffering just to demonstrate something?

The staircase, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can choose to give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It might seem like an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about causing suspicion anytime you find a gift horse. The game world contains design traps that transform an easy path into a obstacle instantly. Are the stairs one more trick? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And even worse, is he ready to be diminished another time by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options results in a real situation of personal growth and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he craves.

But there’s no embarrassment in the steps as well. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he realizes that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They continue for a while, but they’re easy to walk up and he does not fall to the bottom if he falls. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Halfway up, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, unsurprisingly, selected The Obstacle. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this odd character?

Personal Reflection

During my game, I opted for the stairs. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call