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

I've encountered some challenging choices in interactive entertainment. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section led me to pause the game for several minutes while I considered my choices. I am responsible for so many Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I wish I could undo. Not one of those instances measure up to what now might be the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in interactive media — and it concerns a massive stairway.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out game, is hardly a choice-driven game. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You simply have to 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’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when it's most unexpected. There’s no moment that demonstrates that power like one major choice that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a struggle, as a long time spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all comes from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. During his adventure, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who each propose to assist him. A cool, confident hiker seeks to provide Nate a navigation aid, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s funniest instant. When he plunges into an inescapable pit and is offered a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of selection. As Nate approaches the conclusion his adventure, he discovers that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has desperately tried to duck up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path called The Challenge. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps includes; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs instead and reach the summit in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

An Agonizing Decision

I am very serious when I say that this is an agonizing choice in the game's narrative. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be laden with more humiliating failures. Is it justified suffering just to make a statement?

The steps, on the contrary, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion whenever you see a simple solution. The world is filled with planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a difficulty on a dime. Is the staircase an additional deception? Could Nate reach to the very summit just to be let down by a final joke? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished once again by being forced to call some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Each path brings about a real situation of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an personal triumph. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as capable as anyone else, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s hard, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the stairs as well. To opt for that way is to eventually enable Nate to accept help. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no secret drawback in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he won't slip to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, naturally, selected The Obstacle. He tries to play it cool, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the needless difficulty. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the deal hardly seems so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Choice

When I played, I chose the staircase. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call