Baby Steps Presents One of the Most Significant Decisions I Have Ever Experienced in a Game

I've faced some hard decisions in interactive entertainment. Certain choices I made in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima final sequence led me to set down my controller for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my options. I am responsible for numerous Krogan deaths in Mass Effect that I would love to reverse. Not one of those instances compare to what possibly is the hardest choice I’ve had to make in interactive media — and it concerns a enormous set of steps.

Baby Steps, the latest game from the creators of Ape Out, isn’t exactly a decision-focused experience. At least not in any traditional sense. You only need to navigate a sprawling open world as the main character Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can hardly stay upright on his unsteady feet. It looks like an exercise in frustration, but Baby Steps game’s strength comes from its surprisingly deep narrative that will catch you off guard when you least anticipate it. There’s no moment that showcases that quality like a pivotal decision that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

Some scene setting is needed at this point. Baby Steps begins as Nate is magically whisked away from the basement of his home and into a fantasy world. He quickly discovers that moving around in it is a difficulty, as years spent as a couch potato have deteriorated his physical condition. The physical comedy of it all comes from users guiding Nate one step at a time, trying to maintain his balance.

Nate requires assistance, but he has trouble voicing that to anyone. Throughout his hero’s journey, he comes in contact with a group of unusual individuals in the world who everyone tries to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a map, but he awkwardly refuses in the game’s most hilarious scene. When he drops into an unavoidable hole and is offered a ladder, he tries to play it off like he requires no assistance and actually wants to be stuck in the hole. Throughout the story, you experience no shortage of annoying scenarios where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Pivotal Moment

Everything builds up in Baby Steps’s key situation of selection. As Nate nears the end his journey, he realizes that he must reach the summit of a snowy mountain. The unofficial caretaker of the world (who Nate has actively avoided up to this point) comes to inform him that there are two routes to the top. If he’s up for a challenge, he can opt for a particularly extended and dangerous hiking trail called The Challenge. It is the most intimidating challenge Baby Steps game includes; choosing it looks risky to anyone.

But there’s a alternative choice: He can simply ascend a massive winding stairs as an alternative and get to the top in a few minutes. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Master” from now on if he chooses the simple path.

An Agonizing Decision

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an agonizing choice in context. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. A portion of Nate's adventure is revolves around the truth that he’s self-conscious of his physical appearance and manhood. Each instance he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a painful recollection of all he lacks. Attempting The Challenge could be a time where he can show that he’s as competent as his imagined opponent, but that road is bound to be laden with more awkward mishaps. Is it worth suffering just to make a statement?

The steps, on the flip side, provide Nate with another significant opportunity to decide between receiving aid or refusing it. The player has no choice in whether or not they reject navigation help, but they can choose to allow Nate some relief and opt for the steps. It might seem like an easy choice, but Baby Steps is remarkably shrewd about creating doubt anytime you encounter an easy option. The game world contains design traps that change a secure way into a setback instantly. Is the staircase an additional deception? Will Nate get all the way to the top just to be let down by a final joke? And more troubling, is he ready to be diminished another time by being forced to call a strange individual as Master?

No Right or Wrong

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Either one results in a authentic instance of personal growth and catharsis for Nate. If you decide to take on The Obstacle, it’s an philosophical victory. Nate eventually obtains a chance to prove that he’s as capable as anyone else, consciously choosing a tough path rather than struggling through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and maybe ill-advised, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the staircase as well. To select that route is to at last permit Nate to receive assistance. And when he does so, he discovers that there’s no secret drawback awaiting him. The steps are not a joke. They continue for a while, but they’re straightforward to ascend and he won't slip completely down if he stumbles. It’s a easy journey after lengthy difficulty. Partway through, he even has a conversation with the outdoorsman who has, naturally, opted for The Challenge. He tries to play it cool, but you can see that he’s fatigued, subtly ruing the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate gets to the top and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the deal hardly seems so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

My Experience

When I played, I opted for the stairs. Part of me just {wanted to call