Celeste Retrospective: A Special Game

These days, making a 2D platformer is a dangerous endeavour because you’re coming up against some of the greatest games of all time, saying, “Hey guys! This is worth playing.” What’s wild is that Celeste delivers with its ultra-precise controls, tight-level design and memorable story. So it’s impressive how an indie studio from Vancouver managed to pull it off as well as they did. Maddy Makes Games created something that is becoming rarer and rarer as the years go by — a 2D platformer that takes the world by surprise. Now, I’m not saying games like Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze, Rayman Legends, and Super Meat Boy haven’t garnered some attention because they certainly have, but none of those games were nominated for Game of the Year. In 2018, we had AAA experiences like Red Dead Redemption 2 and God of War 2018. But Celeste held its own whilst showing there is still a commercial interest in challenging and emotional games not made by major studios. So yeah, Celeste is a special game, and I hope you will join me in this retrospective about one of my favourite games ever.

I think I can safely say that my first-ever gaming experience was with Super Mario World. I say “think” because I cannot remember the first game I ever played as I only have spotty memories of playing games with my brothers, and none of that is concrete. Regardless, I had heard good things about Celeste for some time before I eventually picked it up a couple of years ago on my Nintendo Switch, and when I did, it was great. See, I go back and forth on what I love more because some days, it’s 3D platformers, and some days, it’s the opposite. I was in the mood for something a little more straightforward at the time, and Celeste’s £16 price tag didn’t offend me because I knew what I was getting into. Anyway, Celeste was what I had been waiting for since I was a toddler — a 2D platformer that hooks me. I don’t think that has happened since I played Super Mario World on my Grandma’s Super Nintendo for the first time.

Let’s get into the game itself, though. Right off the bat, Celeste tells you what it's all about. The player is told about its dash mechanic in its first level, and it does some fantastic stuff with it. There are many unique ideas here, like the moving platforms you must hold onto whilst avoiding the spikes or the goo that will shoot you through the world at a million miles an hour. There’s just so much love and care put into Celeste that it’s almost infectious, which is good because this game is hard as heck! Some of the later areas will have players yelling at the screen and getting close to smashing their controllers. However, all those deaths feel fair, and thanks to generous checkpoints, none of it feels like the game is laughing in your face. Instead, it’s saying, “You’ve got this!” It is still evil in some parts and doesn’t shy away from cranking up the difficulty by a few notches near the end. So be aware if you’re considering picking up Celeste sometime soon.

Thankfully, an assist mode offers features like invincibility, infinite stamina and the ability to skip chapters entirely. Now, some people might argue having this setting available at all times means players will get through Celeste without experiencing it in its truest form. But I disagree because if someone pays for a game, then doesn’t that entitle them to seeing it through to the end? If you’re going to argue that making games exclusive to those who can play them without relying on accessibility features is a good thing, then I hope you can look outside yourself for once when the time comes.

Celeste’s soundtrack is excellent, too. It might be a bunch of bleep bleeps and bloops, but Lena Raine's arrangement will stick with me forever. It will make you cry, angry, and triumphant, and while any soundtrack can do that, the way the difficulty and music work in tandem with the gameplay creates a one-of-a-kind experience. I love adaptive soundtracks.

As for the story, Madeline is dealing with anxiety and decides to climb a mountain. While climbing that mountain, she discovers more about herself, deals with her inner demons and becomes stronger mentally after finishing her adventure. As I said before, Celeste has a strong sense of cohesion, and it never feels at odds with itself. Plus, the story is important to me because I have been dealing with anxiety all my life and seeing a game deal with that topic means a lot; I’m sure many other people can relate to that. The gaming world has been so preoccupied with war and superheroes that games with vulnerable characters have become few and far between, so I appreciated Celeste’s braveness. I hope to see more games centred around mental illness and not just from the indie scene. AAA developers need to take note!

So over 900 words later, I hope you can see why I think Celeste is great. It’s not just because it’s a 2D platformer but because of its uniqueness. Its level design, brave story, music, and accessibility make for an experience everyone should try. I highly recommend it. So that’s why I can't wait for the developer’s next game Earthblade, and 2024 can’t come soon enough.