I played Celeste in 2020 under a friend's recommendation. He, knowing that 2D Platformers that step on me and call me worthless are my kink, figured it'd be the perfect game for me. Yeah...He wasn't far off.
Celeste is just fantastic isn't it? It's ballbustingly hard, but not in a Dark Souls kinda way where it's like "you suck at the game, get better" but more in an encouraging "you can do it! Keep going!" kind of way, and this ethos is beautifully encapsulated in the way that the game's protagonist - Madeleine is trying to climb the titular mountain just to prove to herself that she can. It's a beautiful example of story and gameplay lining up and serving the same function.
And that gameplay is tight, responsive and so addictive. So many times I looked at the platforming puzzle ahead of me and thought "you want me to do what?" and then I did it, and Celeste made me feel like I was the best player in the world, even when I wasn't. Celeste is the ultimate in immense platforming challenge and mind-bending manoeuvres, Madeleine's physics feel spot-on and her signature air-dash as well as so many ingenious little mechanics contribute to the incredible things you'll achieve in this game.
Celeste pulls this all off whilst having a heartfelt and focused story that anyone with a heart will find relatable. It's very hard to find a flaw with it. I suppose I didn't love the Mirror Temple and I find Celeste's "single-screen" approach as opposed to the side-scrolling approach of games like Rayman Legends or Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze often has me wondering what to do, instead of how I do it. But these things are so minor. What a fucking banger.
Celeste is just fantastic isn't it? It's ballbustingly hard, but not in a Dark Souls kinda way where it's like "you suck at the game, get better" but more in an encouraging "you can do it! Keep going!" kind of way, and this ethos is beautifully encapsulated in the way that the game's protagonist - Madeleine is trying to climb the titular mountain just to prove to herself that she can. It's a beautiful example of story and gameplay lining up and serving the same function.
And that gameplay is tight, responsive and so addictive. So many times I looked at the platforming puzzle ahead of me and thought "you want me to do what?" and then I did it, and Celeste made me feel like I was the best player in the world, even when I wasn't. Celeste is the ultimate in immense platforming challenge and mind-bending manoeuvres, Madeleine's physics feel spot-on and her signature air-dash as well as so many ingenious little mechanics contribute to the incredible things you'll achieve in this game.
Celeste pulls this all off whilst having a heartfelt and focused story that anyone with a heart will find relatable. It's very hard to find a flaw with it. I suppose I didn't love the Mirror Temple and I find Celeste's "single-screen" approach as opposed to the side-scrolling approach of games like Rayman Legends or Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze often has me wondering what to do, instead of how I do it. But these things are so minor. What a fucking banger.
maximilyun
2 years ago