Celeste

I pirated Celeste at first but it was so good that I ended up buying it to support the creators and to have it in my steam favourites.

traaaaaaaaaaaaaaaans
Ok, so now that I have your attention - this game is beautiful.
I love the story & how it is told and the art style compliments it nicely.
It feels very rewarding to complete a level, although they could be a bit easier at some points (or at least have more checkpoints). There were a few times where I was stuck for ~30 minutes on one checkpoint and I had to take a break and try again the next day.
I did not use the assist mode but I appreciate it being an option - however I had the desire to complete the game without using it.
It took me ~12 hours to do so, while collecting 1/3 of all strawberries.
I have played with a Controller, btw.
Speaking of strawberries - I really appreciate the game explicitly telling you that collecting them is only useful for bragging to your friends. It made it easier for me to justify skipping a lot of them and to just enjoy the game.
Overall, 10/10 game, I loved nearly every second of it.
I can see why so many people play this game.
I'll 100% think back to some lessons I've learned from this game in the future. We should all try to be more like Madeline.
So, overall: This game is a steal for 5€ on sale, check it out,

Celeste sat in my backlog for what felt like forever. It wasn't until my kindred spirit convinced me to finally give it a shot that I dove in. And wow, I really wish I had listened earlier. This game is an absolute gem in the platformer genre. It actually surprised me both with its gameplay and emotional weight. Even though it's been out for years, for me, this game stands out as one of the best platformers I've ever played, and for this reason, I'm taking some time to write this review to make sure this game gets the recognition it deserves (even though that most likely it won't be read by anyone after being released for so many years).
Let me start by saying this: if you're into platformers, Celeste is going to feel like a gift. The controls are tight and responsive, making every jump, dash, and climb feel precise. Each level introduces new mechanics that keep the experience fresh and the game definitely knows how to challenge you, but it never feels unfair. In fact, I've never blinked twice after dying, actually enjoying every moment of it. I think that what's so remarkable about Celeste, is that it makes failure feel like part of the process. Every time you fall, you learn something new about the terrain, the enemies, or the timing, and when you finally succeed, it's deeply satisfying (and I apparently also make squeaking grunting sounds during these moments). The game encourages persistence, and the quick respawn times make retries virtually seamless.
But here's what really surprised me: Celeste isn't just a tough platformer, it's also an incredibly heartfelt story. You follow Madeline as she climbs Celeste Mountain, a journey that mirrors her internal struggles with anxiety and self-doubt. The character interactions are brief but impactful, especially between Madeline and her darker self, 'Badeline'. These moments hit hard, and by the time the story wrapped up, I found myself genuinely moved! ♡ And honestly, it's rare for a platformer to make you think as much as it makes you sweat, but Celeste does both effortlessly. Then there's Lena Raine's incredible soundtrack. The way it shifts from upbeat and energetic during intense sections to serene and emotional during quieter moments is nothing short of brilliant.
All in all, I can't believe I waited this long to play Celeste, but now that I have, I get the hype. If it's been sitting in your backlog, let me be your cherished confidant to tell you: go climb that mountain. You won't regret it.
Absolutely recommended ♡

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☑ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS
---{ Gameplay }---
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't
---{ Audio }---
☑ Eargasm
☐ Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf
---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma
---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☑ Potato
☐ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer
---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☐ Old Fashioned
☑ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data
---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☑ Difficult
☐ Dark Souls
---{ Grind }---
☑ Nothing to grind
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding
---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☐ Good
☑ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life
---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☑ Average
☐ Long
☐ To infinity and beyond
---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☑ Worth the price
☐ If it's on sale
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money
---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs
---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☐ 8
☑ 9
☐ 10

Some pros and cons:
- I got much better at platformers because of this game
- I kinda became better at games in general
- I got so frustrated I had to stop playing at times
- I'm trans now
- Awesome soundtrack and visuals
10/10

-Quick Review-
Lessons learned while playing Celeste:
“If at first you don’t succeed; try, try again.” …and again, and again, and again, etc.
“Just let me try this part of the level one more time, I’ve nearly got it”
“I suddenly have an usual desire for strawberry jam.”
Also, my thumbs are sore.

Celeste is a very difficult precision 2D platformer with great music, great visuals, and a heartwarming story you *WILL* work to complete without toggling on any Assist Mode help.
(But Assist Mode is there for you to use if you want to, but it’s strongly encouraged you do your best first without Assist Mode, completing the game the way it was intended to feels very rewarding… Madeline worked hard to overcome her challenges to climb the mountain, and I worked hard to overcome the 2D platforming challenges. But if you’re frustrated and stuck, it’s better to finish with help, then start and quit due to frustration)
Celeste was developed by the formerly known “Maddy Makes Games Inc.” now rebranded to “Extremely OK Games, Ltd.” and released in 2018.

Review Video:
If you don't like reading, or are curious about watching gameplay check out my video here:

-Detailed breakdown review-
Story: You play as Madeline, who is on an adventure on her own trying to escape some past troubles in her life as she applies herself to the task of climbing the Mountain Celeste. But it turns out the mountain has some mystical powers, and her demons quite literally come to life as she climbs to the summit. Along the way she’ll meet Grandma, an “InstaPix” influencer who you can find on Instagram IRL, and a hotel owner.

The story is a nice respite between the tough 2D platforming for the rest of the game, but it’s also heartwarming how the characters interact with each other and I thought it was well written. The characters have their own Bit-tune/Chip-tune voices instead of voice actors, and the character's drawn style was very complimentary to the pixel themed gameplay. Celeste was just destined to hit all the right points for me to absolutely adore it.


Gameplay: Celeste is a 2d platformer, therefore the controls are pretty straight forward, movement, climbing, jumping, and wall jumping. I first tried playing with a keyboard, which was possible, but not very advisable. Please do yourself a favor and play with a controller or on the Steamdeck, Celeste is hard enough without making it harder with fighting against the keyboard input limits.

Also with cloud saves, I could seamlessly jump between playing on my computer and Steamdeck. Just wanted to make a quick note: Celeste works well on the steam deck from the comfort of my own TV and couch!

As you progress through the game you’ll encounter new ways of moving with either new abilities like a directional dash, or an extra jump when you dash through some special boxes. Each level will have its own theme in appearance, music soundtrack, and gameplay gimmick.

Seeing as Celeste is sometimes painfully difficult, thankfully the developer wasn’t cruel about it. When you die, you near-instantly respawn to try again, and whenever you move to another screen you respawn there, not at the start of the level. If I had to play through the whole level in one life, take me out, coach. I can’t do it. I think I died over a hundred times on each level in Celeste…

Speaking of the difficulty, there are optional secondary objectives in Celeste to collect strawberries. They’re completely optional! The developers tell you so with a pop-up-hint! You could go through the whole game and ignore the strawberries, but for those of you who are looking to push the limits of the 2D platforming and mechanics in Celeste you’ll want to go for the strawberries.
There were some strawberries where I said “there’s no way”, and sometimes I figured out how to get them… but I’d say “I got lucky”. Others were hidden too well, or I couldn’t figure out how to get them, and with other strawberries I took a few attempts and said “No. There’s no way I’m getting that and still finishing this game”.


Conclusion: In conclusion, Celeste is great. I really enjoyed smaller, by themselves almost “peripheral” details but added together really created a special gem of a game. Celeste is mostly precision platforming, but it has a heartwarming story, a lovely soundtrack, I love the choice for “voices”, the pixel styled theme will make it continue to look great years from now. Celeste is difficult but totally worth the work to finish, but even if you find it too tough you can toggle on Assist Mode so that makes it more accessible for those that need/want it!

---{ Graphics }---
☐ You forget what reality is
☑ Beautiful
☐ Good
☐ Decent
☐ Bad
☐ Don‘t look too long at it
☐ MS-DOS
---{ Gameplay }---
☑ Very good
☐ Good
☐ It's just gameplay
☐ Mehh
☐ Watch paint dry instead
☐ Just don't
---{ Audio }---
☑ Eargasm
Very good
☐ Good
☐ Not too bad
☐ Bad
☐ I'm now deaf
---{ Audience }---
☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☑ Adults
☐ Grandma
---{ PC Requirements }---
☐ Check if you can run paint
☑ Potato
☐ Decent
☐ Fast
☐ Rich boi
☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer
---{ Game Size }---
☐ Floppy Disk
☑ Old Fashioned
☐ Workable
☐ Big
☐ Will eat 10% of your 1TB hard drive
☐ You will want an entire hard drive to hold it
☐ You will need to invest in a black hole to hold all the data
---{ Difficulty }---
☐ Just press 'W'
☐ Easy
☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
☐ Significant brain usage
☑ Difficult
☑ Dark Souls (depends lol)
---{ Grind }---
☑ Nothing to grind (If you don't count trying over and over)
☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
☐ Isn't necessary to progress
☐ Average grind level
☐ Too much grind
☐ You'll need a second life for grinding
---{ Story }---
☐ No Story
☐ Some lore
☐ Average
☐ Good
☑ Lovely
☐ It'll replace your life
---{ Game Time }---
☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee
☐ Short
☑ Average (normal player)
☐ Long
☑ To infinity and beyond (If you wanna do everything)
---{ Price }---
☐ It's free!
☐ Worth the price
☑ If it's on sale (Goes on sale super often)
☐ If u have some spare money left
☐ Not recommended
☐ You could also just burn your money
---{ Bugs }---
☑ Never heard of
☐ Minor bugs
☐ Can get annoying
☐ ARK: Survival Evolved
☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs
---{ ? / 10 }---
☐ 1
☐ 2
☐ 3
☐ 4
☐ 5
☐ 6
☐ 7
☐ 8
☐ 9
☑ 10
Great game, even if you don't like super hard games. The masochist stuff is optional :)