Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Meaningful Choices I've Ever Experienced in Video Games

I've dealt with some challenging decisions in gaming. Some of my decisions in Life is Strange series remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence prompted me to set down my controller for several minutes while I thought through my choices. I am the cause of countless Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. Not a single one of those situations hold a candle to what now might be the hardest choice I've ever made in interactive media — and it concerns a giant staircase.

Baby Steps, the newest release from the makers of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. At least not in typical gaming terms. You must walk around a sprawling open world as 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’s strength comes from its deceptively impactful story that will sneak up on you when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that exemplifies that strength like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is needed at this point. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a magical realm. He immediately finds that navigating this world is a challenge, as a lifetime spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all comes from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to prevent him from falling over.

Nate requires assistance, but he has problems articulating that to others. Throughout his hero’s journey, he comes in contact with a cast of eccentric characters in the world who everyone tries to give him a hand. 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 plunges 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 stuck in the hole. During the narrative, you see numerous annoying scenarios where Nate creates additional difficulties because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s key situation of selection. As Nate approaches the conclusion his journey, he discovers that he must ascend of a snowy mountain. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) comes to let him know that there are two routes to the top. If he’s prepared for difficulty, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most formidable barrier Baby Steps provides; attempting it appears unwise to any person.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs in its place and reach the summit in a few minutes. The only caveat? He’ll have to address the guardian “Sir” from now on if he takes the easy route.

An Agonizing Decision

I am completely earnest when I say that this is an agonizing choice in the game's narrative. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in one absurd moment. An element of Nate's story is focused on the reality that he’s unconfident of his physique and male identity. Every time he sees that handsome trekker, it’s a difficult memory of everything he’s not. Undertaking The Obstacle could be a time where he can demonstrate that he’s as competent as his one-sided rival, but that route is sure to be laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit suffering just to prove a point?

The stairs, on the other hand, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in whether or not they decline guidance, but they can choose to provide Nate with respite and opt for the steps. It might seem like an straightforward selection, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about causing suspicion anytime you see a simple solution. The game world contains intentional pitfalls that transform an easy path into a difficulty suddenly. Could the steps an additional deception? Might Nate arrive all the way to the top just to be disappointed by an ending prank? And even worse, is he willing to be emasculated another time by being forced to call a strange individual as Master?

No Correct Answer

The excellence of that situation is that there’s no perfect selection. Both options leads to a genuine moment of character development and catharsis for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a moment to show that he’s as able as everyone else, voluntarily accepting a tough path rather than suffering through one that he has no choice but to follow. It’s challenging, and possibly risky, but it’s the moment of strength that he requires.

But there’s no embarrassment in the staircase as well. To select that route is to finally allow Nate to accept help. And when he does, he finds that there’s no real catch awaiting him. The staircase is not a trick. They continue for a while, but they’re simple to climb and he doesn’t slide to the bottom if he stumbles. It’s a straightforward ascent after hours of struggle. Partway through, he even has a chat with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, opted for The Challenge. He tries to play it cool, but you can discern that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to pay his debt, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this strange individual?

Personal Reflection

When I played, I chose the staircase. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call