Quick Game Review: Celeste

Platform I Played: Nintendo Switch

I have a confession:  I'm bad at twitch platformers.

I die.  Over and over.  Again and again.

It's sad.

I've never really been that great at completing a quick succession of actions.

I watch my younger siblings make jumps on the first or second try that take me more than a couple of tries.

So, it's amazing to me that, after 1,800+ deaths, I stuck with Celeste and made it to the end.

What kept me going in Celeste was the story.  This sets Celeste apart from other ultra-difficult platformers, in that it has an engaging and touching story that deals with mental illness and how we cope with anxiety and depression.

In Celeste, you play as Madeline, a girl who is intent on climbing Celeste Mountain.  Over the course of the game's main eight chapters, it's revealed that the mountain acts as a place for her to work through her demons and face them.  The Mountain is both a setting and metaphor, and many of the characters and set pieces throughout the story represent something more than they seem.

It's a story about having the courage to face yourself and your limits, even though you might be telling yourself that you are tired or not good enough.  The struggle in the game is mirrored, in some small part, by your struggle playing the game.  I couldn't give up on myself or on Madeline, and I had to keep pushing on.

I never came close to completing Super Meat Boy, and I bounced off games like VVVVVV and I Wanna Be The Guy, but Celeste, from developer Matt Makes Games, kept me hooked until the end and well into collecting items to unlock more.

You should buy this game.