Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Meaningful Choices I've Ever Encountered in Video Games

I've faced some difficult decisions in interactive entertainment. Several of my selections in Life is Strange series continue to trouble me. Ghost of Tsushima's ending section led me to put my controller down for several minutes while I thought through my alternatives. I am the cause of numerous Krogan deaths in the Mass Effect series that I regret deeply. Not one of those instances compare to what possibly is the hardest choice I've faced in interactive media — and it has to do with a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the recent title from the makers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. Certainly not in any traditional sense. You only need to explore a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a adult in a onesie who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will catch you off guard when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that exemplifies that strength like one major choice that I can’t stop thinking about.

Spoiler Warning

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as Nate is transported from his parents’ basement and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a struggle, as years spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all comes from players controlling Nate step by step, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he meets a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A self-assured trekker tries to give Nate a map, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he falls into an unavoidable hole and is presented with a ladder, he attempts to act casual like he requires no assistance and genuinely desires to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you experience no shortage of annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s one true moment of selection. As Nate gets close to finishing his adventure, he realizes that he must ascend of a frosty elevation. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) shows up to inform him that there are two paths upward. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can take an extremely long and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game provides; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs instead and reach the summit in just moments. The only caveat? He’ll have to call the groundskeeper “Sir” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Painful Choice

I am very serious when I say that this is an difficult selection in this situation. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself culminating in one absurd moment. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the reality that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of all he lacks. Undertaking The Manbreaker could be a moment where he can show that he’s as capable as his one-sided rival, but that path is likely laden with more awkward mishaps. Is it justified suffering just to prove a point?

The staircase, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The user doesn't get to decide in if they decline guidance, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and choose the staircase. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about causing suspicion anytime you find a gift horse. The world is filled with planned obstacles that turn a safe route into a obstacle on a dime. Are the stairs one more trick? Might Nate arrive to the very summit just to be let down by an ending prank? And even worse, is he prepared to be humiliated yet again by being made to address a strange individual as Master?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options brings about a authentic instance of character development and emotional release for Nate. If you choose to tackle The Challenge, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as able as others, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, 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 realizes that there’s no hidden trick waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he does not fall completely down if he trips. It’s a easy journey after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, unsurprisingly, opted for The Challenge. He tries to play it cool, but you can discern that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to fulfill his obligation, hailing his new Lord, the arrangement scarcely looks so bad. Who has time to be embarrassed by this strange individual?

My Experience

In my playthrough, I chose the staircase. Part of me just {wanted to call