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

I've faced some hard decisions in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments led me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am responsible for numerous Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what now might be the hardest choice I’ve had to make in gaming — and it concerns a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out, is hardly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in the conventional way. You simply have to walk around a vast game world as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his wobbly legs. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its surprisingly deep narrative that will sneak up on you when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that navigating this world is a challenge, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The slapstick elements of it all stems from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has difficulty expressing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to assist him. A self-assured trekker tries to give Nate a guide, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he plunges into an inescapable pit and is given a way out, he tries to play it off like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate complicates his own situation because he’s too self-conscious to take support.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps game’s key situation of choice. As Nate nears the end his quest, he discovers that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route called The Manbreaker. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps game provides; attempting it appears unwise to any human.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a gigantic spiral staircase in its place and reach the summit in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am very serious when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. Part of Nate’s journey is revolves around the reality that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Each instance he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Taking on The Challenge could be a instance where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be laden with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth struggling just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in if they decline guidance, but they can decide to give Nate a break and choose the staircase. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about causing suspicion whenever you find a gift horse. The game world contains planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a difficulty on a dime. Could the steps yet another trap? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated once again by being forced to call an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Both options results in a authentic instance of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Obstacle, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as able as everyone else, willingly taking on a tough path rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no embarrassment in the stairs as well. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The staircase is not a trick. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip all the way down if he stumbles. It’s a simple climb after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, selected The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

My Choice

When I played, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call