Genre: Platformer
Year: 2018
Developed by: Maddy Makes Games
Published by: Maddy Makes Games
Platforms: PC, XBOX One, Switch, Mac OS, PS4, Linux
#44
Feeling Like: Such great heights
I honestly don’t know if I’m good at playing video games. I tend to shy away from titles that are marketed as brutal slogs. The Souls-likes, such as Elden Ring or Bloodborne, look amazing but from my limited playtime I wasn’t exactly enticed to brute force my way through hundreds of deaths before finally getting to the end. I don’t have as much time these days and when I’m mapping out my course for the year, I balk at an adventure that may take 80+ hours of me banging my head against a wall.
When it comes to a challenge in the two-dimensional realm, however, I’m much more of a masochist. It could be that I have an easier time understanding what the developer wants of me, or that these experiences are far shorter, but I’ll dive into nearly anything if i don’t have to worry about a third axis.
I don’t want to list off all the “difficult” games I’ve beaten because that’s just opening me up to a verbal lambasting I could do without, so I’ll get to the point – Celeste is one of the more difficult, yet fair games I’ve ever played. The challenge curve is masterfully implemented, the controls are air-tight, the visuals and audio appropriately accompany Madeline’s ascent to the top of Celeste mountain. I’ve played platformers before, but this is hardly anything like Super Mario or Rayman; it felt fresh, inviting and surprisingly deep on a story level. It’s not often you care about characters in a platformer, but Celeste managed to accomplish that, and much more.
I like how the levels were divided up into a single screen, for the most part. I find any obstacle is more easily approached when perceived in tiny doses, so when I’m confronted with death defying leaps, or spike traps, or bottomless pits, I smile knowing that when I find the solution, I’ll be able to whip past them in mere seconds. See? It wasn’t so bad after all.
Cleary, Celeste resonates with a large audience when it comes to the story. Madeline is an instantly likeable young girl, but obviously has some mental issues to work through. Depression and anxiety are both represented overtly, and respectfully. I’m lucky enough to have not suffered either, but from what I’ve read, many gamers appreciated the developer tackling a serious subject that most other companies would avoid. To boot, they do it with cute little cartoon graphics. That’s not an easy task, as you’d think the bright colors and Disney eyes would detract from the subject matter – if anything, it enhances it. The novelty of it all, and the desire to see who else Maddy would come across while climbing the mountain was more than enough motivation to persevere against hundreds of deaths.
Going back to the difficulty setting, Celeste takes a page from Super Meat Boy’s book in that the respawn time is nearly non-existent. A godsend. Regardless of how tricky a series of jumps is, the worse that’s going to happen is that you’ll go back a few seconds. This meant I was always keen to experiment with new abilities, or test out a specific angle, or see if there was a hidden crevice I could sneak into. I never hesitated to try a strange move since I knew I was safe, in the long run. Die, respawn, try again.
It’s not entirely devoid of maddening moments. You will die, often. I averaged 2.6 deaths per minute in my nearly six hours with Celeste and those that were bold enough to attempt the B and C side levels (I tip my hat to them) would experience multitudes more. I’ve heard that if you want to achieve 100% completion, you’re looking at 35-50 hours of grinding.
Maybe I’m not very good at games after all!
There’s a reason it won my Game of the Year for 2018 and it’s only gotten better with age, as far as I’m concerned. Every world introduces a new mechanic, every story beat increased my adoration for Madeline, every oddball she met along the way was interesting and had their own backstory to unravel. The obstacles are undoubtedly sinister at times, but much like how Maddy pursues her goal despite some setbacks, I couldn’t possibly give up. I had to see the peak, and the end credits.
Here’s what I said in the Top 10 of 2018
I’m not sure if Celeste beat out the rest of the games because of how good it is, or because it didn’t have any glaring faults. When the year is littered with a buffet of well crafted video games, any nitpick seems like a chasm of criticism.
Celeste doesn’t do anything incorrectly. There’s no instant fail stealth missions, there’s no melodrama, the characters interact with each other in meaningful ways and there isn’t a sidekick character that gets on your nerves.
In terms of the Platformer genre, or Splatformer if you want to go that route, it’s absolutely sublime.
The level design is world-class. Each screen feels like a puzzle. Each solution was met with a fist pump, a cheer and a rush of adrenaline depending on how many lives that particular obstacle had taken. The controls are perfect, the music is unique and fits the mood perfectly. And it has heart.
The message and lessons it walks you through go beyond the normal attempts at a story in game. It’s small, self-contained, but utterly brilliant. The final two stages are about as perfect a mix of challenge and satisfaction I’ve seen since Ori and the Blind Forest.
I died 887 times in 5 hours, 39 minutes and I wasn’t frustrated for a single second, despite averaging a death every 28 seconds or so. This is due to superb design – deaths are quickly forgotten, re-spawning is nearly instant and there’s a checkpoint after every screen.
Each chapter introduces more moves and more characters and just when you think you’ve seen the game’s entire catalog of tricks, there’s the B-Sides and the strawberries and the hearts and why not go for all the secrets?
Even the dialogue boxes and font for the text are pleasant to look at.
It may not have won the race by a mile, but it won. Celeste is everything you’d want in a 2D platformer, and everything you didn’t know you wanted. The ending chapter screenshots, Madeline’s endearing persistence and the looming mountain are the window dressing and sizzle a game needs to ascend to new successes. Celeste is my game of the year.
It’s an outstanding platformer. The end chapter pictures were a fantastic way to cap off a difficult level. The accompanying jingle is beautifully cozy. You can customize a ludicrous amount of settings. It’s heartfelt. It’s maniacal. It’s beyond charming. It’s Celeste, and deserves every accolade it’s received to date, including spot # 44.
The 500 