Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Meaningful Choices I've Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've encountered some challenging decisions in interactive entertainment. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments made me set down my controller for several minutes while I thought through my alternatives. I am the cause of countless Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances compare to what now might be the hardest choice I've ever made in a video game — and it involves a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the developers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to explore a vast game world as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that navigating this world is a struggle, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The humorous physicality of it all arises from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to other characters. During his adventure, he meets a cast of eccentric characters in the world who everyone tries to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps’s key situation of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he finds that he must climb to the top of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can take an extremely long and hazardous route named The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps provides; attempting it appears unwise to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps instead and reach the summit in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an agonizing choice in the game's narrative. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the fact that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of what he fails to be. Attempting The Obstacle could be a moment where he can prove that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that road is bound to be paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth struggling just to demonstrate something?

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 decline guidance, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt anytime you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with design traps that change a secure way into a obstacle on a dime. Could the steps an additional deception? Could Nate reach all the way to the top just to be disappointed by a final joke? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished once again by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Either one leads to a authentic instance of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as able as others, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the staircase too. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he does, he finds that there’s no hidden trick awaiting him. The staircase is not a trick. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the agreement barely appears so nasty. Who has concern for humiliation by this odd character?

My Experience

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