The Game Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Meaningful Decisions I've Ever Experienced in Gaming

I've encountered some difficult choices in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence led me to set down my controller for around ten minutes while I thought through my options. I am the cause of numerous Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances hold a candle to what could be the hardest choice I’ve had to make in interactive media — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out game, is hardly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in any traditional sense. You must explore a sprawling open world as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It appears to be an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will surprise you when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that demonstrates that power like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that moving around in it is a struggle, as years spent as a sedentary person have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all arises from gamers directing Nate step by step, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and genuinely desires to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of selection. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he realizes that he must ascend of a snow-capped peak. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path named The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game has to offer; choosing it looks risky to any person.

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

A Difficult Selection

I am very serious when I say that this is an difficult selection in context. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in a particularly bizarre situation. An element of Nate's story is focused on the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Whenever he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of everything he’s not. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his unilateral competitor, but that path is likely paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it justified suffering just to prove a point?

The staircase, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The gamer cannot choose in about they decline guidance, but they can opt to allow Nate some relief and take the stairs. It should be an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is exceptionally cunning about creating doubt whenever you find a gift horse. The world is filled with design traps that change a secure way into a obstacle suddenly. Are the stairs an additional deception? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished another time by being compelled to refer to some weirdo Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options results in a real situation of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Challenge, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as capable as anyone else, consciously choosing a difficult route rather than suffering through 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 requires.

But there’s no shame in the steps either. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he accomplishes that, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re simple to climb and he doesn’t slide to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the hiker who has, naturally, chosen to take The Obstacle. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, addressing his new Master, the arrangement scarcely looks so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Choice

In my playthrough, I opted for the stairs. Part of me just {wanted to call