|| REVIEW || Celeste (XB1)

 

Developed By : Matt Makes Games                   Published By : Matt Makes Games
Category : Indie, Platformer, Action
Release Date : January 25, 2018

At this point, I feel it's only appropriate for me to start a list of "games I wish I had played sooner". A lot of the things I find myself diving into lately are perfect features for such a list, and Celeste is no different. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't a game that got talked about a lot in the circles I was in, and it wasn't something that kept coming up in recommended piles. My first experience viewing and instantly falling in love with this game, was back at the beginning of the year during the All Games Done Quick speedrunning event. After I commented on how fun and amazing the game looked, then people started talking about how great it was. But, just off of one speedrun alone, I was hooked and I wanted to spend my time in this one. 

Fast-forward to preparing for my St Jude event on stream, and I've realized that I actually have this game sitting in my Xbox One library since it had been free previously in a Games With Gold release. I love platforming, I love challenging games, and this game promised both so I knew it was finally time to sit down and play. 

The story follows a young girl named Madeline during her trek climbing a mountain called Celeste Mountain. As she reaches the base of the mountain and prepares to ascend, she receives a warning from a resident known as Granny to stay away, but Madeline ignores this, climbing anyways. Making camp for the night, she has an odd dream where she finds herself approaching a mirror, only to encounter a Part of her breaking free and out of the mirror. This Part begins to berate Madeline, attempting to discourage her from her climb. 

The main game is broken up into a series of seven chapters, each representing a different area of the climb. You'll eventually come to a hotel along the climb, run by the timid Mr. Oshiro, an ancient temple, and various locations outside on the mountain itself where the climb will slowly become more and more treacherous. The mountain and its locales won't be your only adversary, as the Part of Madeline will continuously return to berate you, going so far as to try and physically stop you from your climb.

At first, Madeline has the most basic platforming skills available to her. She can walk, climb walls, and perform a dash maneuver in mid-air. Her wall climb operates off a stamina meter that depletes the longer you climb. You can stretch this out a bit longer by performing small jumps, but eventually it will run out unless you touch a flat ground surface or hit a diamond that replenishes your stamina. The dash is quite similar, you can perform it once (although towards the end of the game you are able to do it twice). Once it's used, you won't be able to do it again until you land or hit a replenishing diamond. 

All of Celeste's levels are broken up into dozens and dozens of screens. Since Madeline doesn't have a health bar, each screen needs to be completed perfectly without taking damage or you'll have to start from the beginning of that screen again. You'll encounter various hazards such as spikes, moving blocks that can completely squish you. Climb high enough and even the wind will be your enemy.

But, through all of it you'll have to deal with the Part of Madeline that wants you to fail. In the early chapters, She will chase you through the screens, so you'll have to constantly stay moving because if she catches you, you're done for. What's fun about these sections is the Part will actually follow the path that you take precisely, so you have the potential to set yourself up for a quick breather.

If you're looking to increase and extend your challenge in this game, there's plenty available. The levels you initially play through are called A-Sides. In each one, there will be a secret room you will find which contains a cassette tape at the end of a difficult platforming section. Collect this tape and congratulations! You've just collected that level's B-Side. These are much tougher variations of the same level (think along the lines of the Dark World variants in Super Meat Boy). If you can manage to beat all of the game's B-Sides, you'll get to unlock the C-Sides as well. These are massively tough levels inspired by their corresponding A-Side, but also extremely short.

Celeste has a ton to offer. Excellent and fluid platforming, tough but beatable challenges, and an amazing and beautiful story to go along with it all. Normally when it comes to games like this, I just completely ignore the story and go right for the platforming. However with this one, I found myself fully paying attention to every word from Madeline and those she encountered. This game is a great experience, and one that any fan of platforming needs to encounter for themselves.

Game Rating : 10/10

Game Played On : Xbox One
Also Available On : Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam)  
Game Price at time of writing : $19.99