Baby Steps Includes One of the Most Significant Decisions I Have Ever Faced in Video Games

I've faced some challenging decisions in video games. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange still haunt me. Ghost of Tsushima ending section prompted me to set down my controller for several minutes while I considered my options. I am the cause of numerous Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations compare to what possibly is the toughest selection I've faced in interactive media — and it has to do with a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out game, is not really a decision-focused experience. Definitely not in typical gaming terms. You must walk around a vast game world as Nate, a adult in a onesie who can barely stand on his shaky limbs. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps game’s power lies in its unexpectedly meaningful plot that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no situation that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Spoiler Warning

A bit of context is necessary here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He soon realizes that walking through it is a challenge, as years spent as a sedentary person have deteriorated his physical condition. The slapstick elements of it all arises from gamers directing Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has difficulty expressing that to others. As he progresses, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who everyone tries to help him out. A cool, confident hiker attempts to offer Nate a guide, but he clumsily declines in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an inescapable pit and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be trapped in the pit. Throughout the story, you encounter plenty of annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s too self-conscious to accept any assistance.

The Ultimate Choice

This culminates in Baby Steps’s single genuine instance of decision. As Nate gets close to finishing his journey, he realizes that he must reach the summit of a snow-capped peak. The de facto groundskeeper of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) appears to tell him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can choose a very lengthy and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Obstacle. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps game has to offer; choosing it looks risky to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can merely climb a massive winding stairs as an alternative and reach the summit in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

A Painful Choice

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in the game's narrative. It’s all of Nate’s insecurities about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. Part of Nate’s journey is centered around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his body and his masculinity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a painful recollection of everything he’s not. Taking on The Obstacle could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as able as his imagined opponent, but that route is sure to be laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit struggling just to demonstrate something?

The stairs, on the flip side, give Nate another big moment to choose whether to take assistance or not. The player has no choice in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and choose the staircase. It might seem like an simple decision, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid whenever you find a gift horse. The game world contains planned obstacles that change a secure way into a difficulty instantly. Are the stairs one more trick? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be disappointed by some last-second gag? And more concerning, is he prepared to be humiliated 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 perfect selection. Each path leads to a genuine moment of personal growth and emotional release for Nate. If you decide to take on The Manbreaker, it’s an personal triumph. Nate finally gets a chance to prove that he’s as competent as everyone else, consciously choosing a difficult route rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the dose of confidence that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the stairs 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 in store for him. The stairs aren’t a prank. They extend for some distance, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip to the bottom if he falls. It’s a straightforward ascent after hours of struggle. Midway through, he even has a chat with the hiker who has, of course, chosen to take The Manbreaker. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s worn out, silently lamenting the needless difficulty. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, addressing his new Master, the agreement barely appears so bad. Who has energy for shame by this odd character?

My Experience

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