Baby Steps Includes Among the Most Meaningful Choices I've Ever Faced in Gaming

I've encountered some challenging decisions in gaming. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence made me set down my controller for several minutes while I weighed my choices. I am accountable for so many Krogan fatalities in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. Not a single one of those situations measure up to what could be the toughest selection I've faced in gaming — and it involves a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the recent title from the creators of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a choice-driven game. Certainly not in typical gaming terms. You only need to explore a vast game world as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his wobbly legs. It seems like a setup for annoyance, but Baby Steps game’s appeal is in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that exemplifies that strength like a key selection that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some scene setting is necessary here. Baby Steps begins as Nate is transported from the basement of his home and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a struggle, as a long time spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The humorous physicality of it all comes from players controlling Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

The protagonist needs aid, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. During his adventure, he encounters a collection of quirky personalities in the world who each propose to assist him. A cool, confident hiker tries to give Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines 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 can manage alone and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to receive help.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps’s key situation of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he finds that he must ascend of a snow-capped peak. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to tell him that there are two paths upward. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and risky path dubbed The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game has to offer; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can simply ascend a gigantic spiral staircase in its place and arrive at the peak in a few minutes. The only caveat? 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 difficult selection in the game's narrative. It’s every one of Nate's doubts about himself reaching a climax in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is centered around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Every time he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of what he fails to be. Attempting The Manbreaker could be a time where he can prove that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that path is likely filled with more awkward mishaps. Does it merit striving just to make a statement?

The steps, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The gamer cannot choose in whether or not they turn away a map, but they can decide to provide Nate with respite and opt for the steps. It ought to be an simple decision, but Baby Steps is devilishly clever about causing suspicion each time you see a simple solution. The world is filled with intentional pitfalls that change a secure way into a obstacle on a dime. Are the stairs yet another trap? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be let down by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished 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 correct or incorrect choice. Either one brings about a genuine moment of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Challenge, it’s an existential win. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as capable as anyone else, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than suffering through one that he has no alternative but to take. It’s hard, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the bit of empowerment that he requires.

But there’s no shame in the staircase too. To opt for that way is to finally allow Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he realizes that there’s no real catch waiting for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They go on for a long time, but they’re easy to walk up and he doesn’t slide to the bottom if he falls. It’s a simple climb after hours of struggle. Halfway up, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, opted for The Challenge. He attempts to act casual, but you can tell that he’s exhausted, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has concern for humiliation by this freak?

My Choice

During my game, I opted for the stairs. A portion of my thinking just {wanted to call