Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Significant Choices I Have Ever Faced in Video Games

I've faced some difficult choices in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section prompted me to pause the game for several minutes while I considered my alternatives. I am accountable for countless Krogan fatalities in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances compare to what now might be the toughest selection I've ever made in gaming — and it has to do with a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You only need to navigate a vast game world as Nate, a onesie-wearing manchild who can hardly stay upright on his wobbly legs. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s strength comes from its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps game begins as the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a magical realm. He soon realizes that walking through it is a difficulty, as a lifetime spent as a couch potato have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all arises from players controlling Nate one step at a time, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to other characters. During his adventure, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who all offer to assist him. A self-assured trekker tries to give Nate a navigation aid, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s funniest instant. When he falls into an inescapable pit and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. As the plot unfolds, you see numerous irritating episodes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to take support.

The Ultimate Choice

That comes to a head in Baby Steps game’s key situation of choice. As Nate nears the end his quest, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can opt for a particularly extended and hazardous route dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps has to offer; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can merely climb a gigantic spiral staircase instead and get to the top in a few minutes. The single stipulation? He’ll have to refer to the caretaker “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in a single ridiculous instant. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the reality that he’s unconfident of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Undertaking The Challenge could be a time where he can prove that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be filled with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit suffering just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in if they decline guidance, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps game is devilishly clever about creating doubt anytime you see a simple solution. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that transform an easy path into a obstacle suddenly. Could the steps yet another trap? Will Nate get at the peak just to be fooled by some last-second gag? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being made to address some weirdo Lord?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Either one leads to a genuine moment of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as competent as others, willingly taking on a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the dose of confidence that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the stairs too. To opt for that way is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he does, he finds that there’s no real catch in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he doesn’t slide completely down if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Manbreaker. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s worn out, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so nasty. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Experience

When I played, I chose the staircase. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call