The Game Baby Steps Features Among the Most Impactful Choices I've Ever Faced in a Game

I've dealt with some challenging decisions in interactive entertainment. Several of my selections in Life is Strange remain on my mind. Ghost of Tsushima's final sequence prompted me to pause the game for a good 10 minutes while I weighed my choices. I am responsible for countless Krogan demises in Mass Effect that I regret deeply. None of those moments hold a candle to what could be the toughest selection I’ve had to make in gaming — and it concerns a giant staircase.

The Game Baby Steps, the latest game from the makers of Ape Out game, isn’t exactly a selection-based adventure. At least not in any traditional sense. You only need to navigate a sprawling open world as the protagonist Nate, a grown-up in childish attire who can struggle to remain on his unsteady feet. It looks like one big ragebait joke, but Baby Steps’s appeal is in its deceptively impactful story that will surprise you when it's most unexpected. There’s not a single instance that showcases that quality like one major choice that I keep reflecting on.

Note: Spoilers Ahead

A bit of context is required here. Baby Steps game starts when Nate is magically whisked away from his family's basement and into a fictional universe. He quickly discovers that walking through it is a difficulty, as years spent as a sedentary person have weakened his muscles. The physical comedy of it all stems from gamers directing Nate gradually, trying to keep his ragdoll body standing.

Nate needs help, but he has problems articulating that to other characters. Throughout his hero’s journey, he encounters a cast of eccentric characters in the world who all offer to give him a hand. A composed outdoorsman attempts to offer Nate a navigation aid, but he clumsily declines in the game’s best laugh-out-loud moment. When he drops into an trapping cavity and is offered a ladder, he strives to appear nonchalant like he doesn’t need the help and truly prefers to be stuck in the hole. As the plot unfolds, you encounter plenty of frustrating vignettes where Nate makes life harder for himself because he’s not confident enough to accept any assistance.

The Defining Decision

Everything builds up in Baby Steps game’s single genuine instance of choice. As Nate approaches the conclusion his quest, he realizes that he must climb to the top of a snow-capped peak. The default guardian of the world (who Nate has consistently evaded up to this point) appears to tell him that there are two ways up. If he’s ready for a test, he can choose a very lengthy and dangerous hiking trail dubbed The Manbreaker. It is the most daunting obstacle Baby Steps provides; choosing it looks risky to any human.

But there’s a other possibility: He can just walk up a massive winding stairs as an alternative and reach the summit in just moments. The sole condition? He’ll have to address the guardian “Lord” from now on if he opts for the effortless way.

A Difficult Selection

I am absolutely sincere when I say that this is an painful decision in the game's narrative. It’s the totality of Nate's self-consciousness about himself coming to a head in a particularly bizarre situation. Part of Nate’s journey is focused on the fact that he’s unconfident of his physique and male identity. Each instance he sees that dashing hiker, it’s a hard reminder of what he fails to be. Attempting The Obstacle could be a time where he can prove that he’s as capable as his unilateral competitor, but that road is bound to be laden with more embarrassing pratfalls. Does it merit striving just to make a statement?

The stairs, on the other hand, give Nate another big moment to either accept or reject help. The user doesn't get to decide in if they turn away a map, but they can opt to give Nate a break and opt for the steps. It should be an easy choice, but Baby Steps is exceptionally cunning about making you feel paranoid each time you encounter an easy option. The world is filled with design traps that turn a safe route into a difficulty instantly. Could the steps yet another trap? Might Nate arrive at the peak just to be let down by a final joke? And more concerning, is he ready to be diminished yet again by being made to address an odd character as Lord?

No Perfect Choice

The brilliance of that instant is that there’s no right or wrong answer. Both options brings about a genuine moment of personal growth and therapeutic resolution for Nate. If you opt to attempt The Manbreaker, it’s an existential win. Nate at last receives a opportunity to demonstrate that he’s as capable as others, voluntarily accepting a difficult route rather than suffering through one that he has no option except to pursue. It’s challenging, and perhaps unwise, but it’s the moment of strength that he needs.

But there’s no shame in the steps either. To opt for that way is to at last permit Nate to accept help. And when he does, he discovers that there’s no secret drawback awaiting 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 extended challenges. Midway through, he even has a conversation with the trekker who has, of course, opted for The Obstacle. He attempts to act casual, but you can discern that he’s fatigued, quietly regretting the unnecessary challenge. By the time Nate reaches the summit and has to meet his agreement, calling the character Lord, the agreement barely appears so unpleasant. Who has energy for shame by this freak?

Personal Reflection

In my playthrough, I selected the steps. Some part of my reasoning just {wanted to call