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

I've dealt with some hard decisions in video games. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's concluding moments led me to set down my controller for several minutes while I thought through my choices. I am accountable for so many Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances measure up to what possibly is the most difficult decision I’ve had to make in gaming — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out, is not really a decision-focused experience. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You only need to navigate a vast game world as Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his shaky limbs. It seems like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that exemplifies that strength like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps starts when the protagonist is suddenly taken from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a struggle, as years spent as a inactive individual have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all arises from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has trouble voicing that to others. During his adventure, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A self-assured trekker tries to give Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he plunges into an trapping cavity and is presented with a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he can manage alone and actually wants to be confined in the cavity. During the narrative, you experience no shortage of 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 game’s one true moment of decision. 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 actively avoided up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s ready for a test, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game has to offer; taking it seems inadvisable to any human.

But there’s a second option: He can simply ascend a enormous coiled steps in its place and reach the summit in a short time. The single stipulation? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Difficult Selection

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in a single ridiculous instant. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the fact that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of everything he’s not. Taking on The Manbreaker could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as capable as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be filled with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified struggling just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the contrary, offer Nate an additional crucial instance to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can opt to give Nate a break and take the stairs. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about causing suspicion anytime you see a simple solution. The game world contains planned obstacles that change a secure way into a difficulty suddenly. Are the stairs yet another trap? Could Nate reach at the peak just to be disappointed by a final joke? And more concerning, is he willing to be emasculated yet again by being compelled to refer to an odd character as Lord?

No Correct Answer

The beauty of that moment is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options leads to a real situation of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a moment to show that he’s as capable as anyone else, voluntarily accepting a challenging way rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he craves.

But there’s no shame in the stairs either. To select that route is to eventually enable Nate to take support. And when he does so, he finds that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The staircase is not a trick. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he doesn’t slide all the way down if he trips. It’s a simple climb after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a discussion with the trekker who has, naturally, selected The Obstacle. He strives to appear composed, but you can discern that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the pointless struggle. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so unpleasant. Who has time to be embarrassed by this freak?

Personal Reflection

During my game, I selected the steps. Part of me just {wanted to call