Baby Steps Presents Among the Most Impactful Decisions I've Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've faced some challenging decisions in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima concluding moments prompted me to pause the game for several minutes while I weighed my alternatives. I am the cause of countless Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I wish I could undo. None of those moments compare to what could be the most difficult decision I've faced in a video game — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out, is not really a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in the conventional way. You only need to navigate a vast game world as the protagonist Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his shaky limbs. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s no situation that showcases that quality like a key selection that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some background information is needed at this point. Baby Steps game begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his family's basement and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that moving around in it is a struggle, as a long time spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all arises from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has trouble voicing that to others. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who each propose to assist him. A self-assured trekker seeks to provide Nate a map, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he falls into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he can manage alone and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s key situation of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he discovers that he must climb to the top of a frosty elevation. The de facto groundskeeper 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 ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and hazardous route called 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 second option: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps instead and reach the summit in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an difficult selection in the game's narrative. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is focused on the fact that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Attempting The Obstacle could be a time where he can show that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely filled with more humiliating failures. Is it worth suffering just to make a statement?

The steps, on the other hand, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to choose whether to take assistance or not. The user doesn't get to decide in if they reject navigation help, but they can choose to give Nate a break and take the stairs. It might seem like an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt anytime you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with planned obstacles that transform an easy path into a obstacle on a dime. Is the staircase an additional deception? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And more troubling, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no correct or incorrect choice. Each path brings about a real situation of protagonist evolution and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as able as anyone else, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no disgrace in the steps either. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he does so, he discovers that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The steps are not a joke. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip to the bottom if he falls. It’s a simple climb after extended challenges. Partway through, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can see that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the pointless struggle. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

My Experience

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