The Game Baby Steps Features One of the Most Impactful Choices I Have Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've encountered some challenging choices in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section prompted me to set down my controller for around ten minutes while I weighed my options. I am the cause of numerous Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations compare to what could be the toughest selection I've ever made in gaming — and it involves a massive stairway.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out, is hardly a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in the conventional way. You only need to explore a sprawling open world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when you’re least expecting it. There’s not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that remains on my mind.

Alert: Spoilers

Some scene setting is required here. Baby Steps game begins as Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a challenge, as years spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all comes from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to other characters. As he progresses, he comes in contact with a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to give him a hand. A self-assured trekker seeks to provide Nate a guide, but he uncomfortably rejects in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. 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 confined in the cavity. Throughout the story, you see numerous frustrating vignettes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s too insecure to receive help.

The Defining Decision

This culminates in Baby Steps’s key situation of choice. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he finds that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail called The Obstacle. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game provides; taking it seems inadvisable to any person.

But there’s a second option: He can just walk up a enormous coiled steps in its place 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 opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in this situation. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself culminating in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is focused on the truth that he’s unconfident of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that impressive outdoorsman, it’s a hard reminder of all he lacks. Taking on The Challenge could be a moment where he can show that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely paved with more embarrassing pratfalls. Is it worth struggling just to demonstrate something?

The steps, on the contrary, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can choose to provide Nate with respite and take the stairs. It should be an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about making you feel paranoid anytime you see a simple solution. The environment includes design traps that transform an easy path into a difficulty suddenly. Could the steps one more trick? Will Nate get at the peak just to be let down by a final joke? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated once again by being forced to call an odd character as Lord?

No Right or Wrong

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no perfect selection. Each path brings about a authentic instance of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a chance to prove that he’s as capable as anyone else, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than enduring one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s difficult, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no shame in the staircase too. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide all the way down if he trips. It’s a straightforward ascent after extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the hiker who has, of course, opted for The Manbreaker. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s exhausted, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate arrives at the peak and has to fulfill his obligation, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Choice

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