Celeste review

CELESTE REVIEW (PC, Singleplayer)

Be forewarned: This review will likely contain minor spoilers. If you prefer to go into a game "blind" but still want an opinion beforehand, just scroll down to the bottom of this review and try not to pay too much attention to the pictures. (I would appreciate if you read at least a bit of my review, however)

Before we begin:
2017 was a year chock-full of wonderful games. From Mario Odyssey to Persona 5, Cuphead, A Hat in Time, Night in the Woods, Finding Paradise... the list just goes on and on. Earlier this year, I thought "There's no way any game that comes out in 2018 could top the best of the best from last year.

But, as is usually the case, I was proven wrong very early on...as early as January 25th, in fact - with the release of Celeste.

Celeste is a hard-as-nails platformer, that was developed by Matt Thorson and Noel Berry and has music composed by Lena Raine. You might actually recognize this game's name, and that's because this isn't actually the "original" Celeste game - Celeste Pico-8 [pictured below, and hereinafter referred to as Celeste Classic] was actually originally made as part of a game jam in 4 days in the simplistic Pico-8 virtual machine... Obviously, this was a very simple game with a barebones soundtrack, but it's quite fun nonetheless and laid out the ground mechanics for the game we're talking about right now - that is, "Celeste". Try it out if you'd like, it's absolutely free and should take you no longer than 15-30 minutes to complete.

Air-jumping, the icy landscape and elusive strawberries are all features that made it into Celeste's modern day version

Shame that pink flower didn't survive the transition, though.

Almost immediately after seeing the trailer for Celeste, I was intrigued.

• For one, the music in the trailer is fantastic. We'll get to just how great this game's soundtrack is later on in the review.
• Secondly, it looked very difficult, and I tend to enjoy games that could probably qualify as torture in some prisons. 
• Thirdly, Mt. Celeste is the [unofficial, but widely used] name of a real place in my home country, the True North, Strong and Free 🎵. The game takes place in Canada, to put the icing on the cake.

But I digress. You probably didn't come here to read about this game's trailer, eh?
Let's get started with the review.

Story

Even though story-based platformers have become more and more popular in recent years, the fact remains that the majority of platformers aren't generally known for their stories, and in most cases, I don't really mind the lack of story in most platformers. Mario, Rayman, Shantae, and the aforementioned Cuphead - these games mostly just have shallow, easy-to-follow stories as an incentive for the player to play the game. The old "Get the plot device [be it a princess, magic stone, or chosen hero], save the world" stories that many of us have heard countless times by now. There's nothing wrong with these stories, obviously, and honestly, it's what I've come to expect from most platformers. 

So it came to me as a surprise when I finally picked up Celeste and became enveloped in a fantastic, yet mostly unintrusive story as I played through each level.

Celeste follows the story of a young lady, Madeline (Canonical name, though you can name her anything you please), as she ventures up Mt. Celeste, seemingly without knowing why herself.

Spunky.

Simple enough, right?
On the way up said mountain, you'll encounter a crazy old lady, a friendly photographer named Theo looking for purpose in life, an eccentric, ghastly inn-owner, tons of spikes, and Madeline's greatest enemy... herself.

You see, Madeline isn't as cheerful and bubbly as her bright, colourful sprite may lead you to believe. It becomes increasingly obvious chapter by chapter that she has some serious mental health and anxiety issues to deal with - which in fact are her motivations for climbing up Mt. Celeste. As soon as the second level in the game, we meet a familiar-looking figure - a physical manifestation of Madeline's thoughts who introduces herself as pragmatic, logical part of you - "you" being Madeline. Hereinafter, I'll refer to her as "Badeline", the nickname she's referred to by fans, because "Part of You" is going to become confusing, and also because that nickname is pretty cute.

The line that directly follows this is Madeline asking "Why would part of me look so creepy?" I love this game.

             

And I'm not a professional video game reviewer, yet here we are.

If the forces of nature weren't bad enough, it seems Badeline is also against the idea of Madeline climbing this mountain. I suppose her concern(?) is justified, though, I wouldn't be too keen on climbing a mountain littered with spikes and pitfalls, either. Regardless, Madeline dismisses her as only part of her negative thoughts and depression, determined to complete her journey to reach the top of the mountain. We never quite get a concrete definition of what "Badeline" truly represents - and I'll leave that up to you to determine if and when you play the game for yourself.

Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself here.
Celeste's story is split up into 7 chapters, though, that is little from how much this game truly has to offer.
In the first chapter of the game, we meet another major character - Theo. As I mentioned earlier, he's an aspiring photographer who's exploring Celeste mountain to see the intriguing sites and sights that the mysterious mountain has to offer. The interactions between him and Madeline truly feel realistic, almost as if you were watching two real young adults talk to one another.

There's a wonderful blend of humour and actual heartfelt dialogue in every interaction between the two as if they were truly two real people, in the same crazy situation - without relying on romance to form a bond between the two characters.

Seeing them share their insecurities and concerns in later chapters really tugged at my heartstrings as well. I won't spoil when that happens though, that's for me to know and you to find out.

Before I move onto the gameplay of Celeste, I really want to emphasize just how much Celeste's story resonated with me - Madeline's constant struggle with her depression and anxiety - and her aforementioned "inner demons" who she believes Badeline represents - really struck a chord with me. I won't say I've truly dealt with chronic depression, but I have had some very unpleasant times in my life, and I can never stop worrying about everything - in the present, future...and even the past. From what I've heard, many others who have dealt with actual depression and anxiety say this story presents it very accurately as well.  It's rare to see a story interwoven into a platformer quite so well, but Celeste pulls it off wonderfully.

I'd love to say and show so much more about the story, but it's truly best experienced by someone playing the game themselves. So I'll (begrudgingly) move on to the gameplay before I end up spoiling anything.

STORY - 9.5/10 [A+ / Incredible]

Gameplay

Not even the most profound story in the world could save a game with subpar gameplay. Fortunately, Celeste's gameplay is highly polished and could even set the standard for platformers in the future. Madeline's means of moving around are easy to get the hang of, but perfecting every single mechanic Celeste throws at you will take time, dedication and perseverance. Her basic movement controls are simple, giving you basic movement as well as the ability to jump and dash once in mid-air.

 The controls are fully configurable for keyboard [Linux, Mac, Windows] and controller [Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PS4, or controller support on PC] This, on its own is nothing special...

The fully configurable control scheme is very much appreciated.

Instead, what's so brilliant about Celeste's design is the multitude of ways these simple mechanics are used and expanded upon. For example, the first level of the game, being an abandoned construction site, elevator type platforms which propel you upwards (or sideways, depending on which way they're facing) after you stand on them, giving you extra momentum if you jump off of one. Each mechanic, this one included, is usually introduced to you slowly... giving you a chance to truly get used to the mechanic before moving on. 

But don't expect it to stay simple for long. I called this game a "Tough-as-nails" platformer for a reason, after all. Celeste has a learning curve that makes levels easy to adapt to, but hard to perfect

This part would have driven me insane if the mesmerizing music hadn't kept me serene.

Each level introduces a new mechanic, which is built upon the moves you already have - and each level uses said mechanic to create some of the most wonderful challenges I have played in a long time - getting every collectible this game has to offer will take a great deal of perseverance. Furthermore, not a single mechanic feels rushed or out of place, and I seriously can't recall a time when I disliked a single one. My favourite is the feather, which changes up the gameplay dramatically without feeling out-of-place, though I won't spoil exactly what it does. (Hint: It's a feather - what kind of power-up would that give you in most platformers?)

Speaking of collectibles, let's go over everything that you can pick up in Celeste. Each level is littered with strawberries, hiding in every hidden passage, through every breakable block... even sometimes in plain sight. Apparently freezing, mountainous terrain is the prime place for growing said fruit...but hey, I'm not complaining about this game's questionable agricultural accuracy, I love strawberries. Technically, you could go through the entire game without collecting a single one, and the game even kindly offers you the option to avoid them if you aren't the completionist type. Be forewarned if you want to 100% the game, however, that some strawberries will require a high level of skill to collect - as if the completing the game by itself wasn't difficult enough.

In fact, Celeste, unlike many other games of similar style, never berates you for missing secrets, shoddy performance or even a long string of deaths, but instead urges you to continue pushing forward - to never give in.

                         

Some players theorize that it's symbolic actually - your "deaths" represent Madeline's struggles and worries climbing Mt. Celeste...the things stopping her from reaching her destination , and that would tie into one of the messages this game strongly pushes...that despite the excruciating challenge and despite the odds that lay before you, despite all your struggles...

Celeste is a game that truly wants you to succeed. 

But I'm getting off-topic again. Let's return to the subject at hand - the collectibles.

Next up, we have cassette tapes. I bet you thought you'd never hear of those things again. Each level in Celeste includes a hidden cassette tape - if you're inquisitive enough to explore every nook and cranny, you'll probably find a hidden tape behind a breakable barrier or in a hard-to-reach spot. Collecting one of these tapes will grant you access to a B-side of the level you just finished - a level, which while still using the same mechanics as the original (A-side) of a level, has the difficulty ramped up to an insane level. Furthermore, just like real-life B-sides on cassette tapes and phonograph records, each B-side in Celeste features a remix of the original A-side version of each stage's music. I'll go over these in the "music" section of my review. These challenges seriously aren't for the faint of heart, and I recommend finishing the game's main "story mode" before moving on to the B-side challenges. If it's any consolation, however, there are no strawberries to be found in any of the B-sides, giving you the chance to focus on simply completing them without needing to search each area for secrets.

                            

Cassette tapes, eh? I guess Madeline was a nineties kid.

Finally, we have crystal hearts. There are only one of these that can be found in each version of a level, and they come in two distinct variations. Blue and Red - found in the A-side and B-side of the levels, respectively. Red hearts await you at the end of B-side levels as a reward for your unrelenting, somewhat-insane perseverance. In A-side stages, however, Red hearts are found in secret areas, much like the aforementioned cassette tapes. Even if you do find one, you'll still have to make use of your critical thinking skills and the game's mechanics in order to figure out just how to collect it.

The fact is, however, that even after collecting every cassette tape, I had only found 3 or 4 out of a total of 8 red hearts. Again, collecting all of these is no easy feat, and you may find yourself scouring every nook and cranny twice over just to find one of these elusive collectibles. Unlike strawberries, however, these do have a purpose - you'll need them to unlock the post-game content if you're feeling up to the challenge.     

Said hearts also shine beautifully in the moonlight. All the more incentive to collect each one!

Speaking of challenge, Celeste offers a hearty serving of it, but some of us aren't quite as big fans of nearly tearing our hair out over a game as others. Those of us who would agree with the last statement may also be happy to hear that Celeste has an "assist mode" if you find yourself having trouble with any of the levels. Though it will leave a mark on your save file (which nobody but purists will really care about in the long run...), assist mode allows you to alter the rules of the game to suit your needs. You can give yourself infinite stamina, the ability to double jump, and if worst comes to worst, skip chapters entirely. All achievements can still be earned in assist mode though because to paraphrase developer Matt Thorson himself:

“We aimed for an experience wherein players are safe to choose and flow between loosely-defined difficulty levels without being judged for playing the game 'differently than intended'"

Just because you don't play the game "normally" doesn't invalidate the effort you put in - what matters is that you put in the effort in the first place, another message that Celeste teaches us, this time not even using the story.

Overall, Celeste is an incredibly well-made game. The controls are incredibly tight, and each mechanic is polished to perfection. Furthermore, despite being inspired and borrowing concepts by a variety of different games, including one of the most famous platformers ever made, Celeste completely takes its own direction in every level, with each mechanic, using them in ways I would never have imagined possible. Even if it didn't have such a fantastic story, Celeste would still be a stellar platformer.

To this day I still have bonus content which I haven't completed yet (but I'm trying to. If there's one thing this game has taught me, it's to never give up/in.)

GAMEPLAY - 10/10 [A+/Masterful]

Music and SFX

Oh boy, where do I begin? Celeste has a soundtrack so inspiring, so fitting, so beautiful that it's quickly become one of my favourite soundtracks of all time, perhaps even my all-time favourite for a 2D-platformer.

As mentioned before, Lena Raine was the composer for the OST of Celeste. And I wish I could congratulate her in person on a job well done...because Celeste is the only hard-as-nails platformer that I have never ragequitted from.

 Not every song is absolutely serene, of course, but each one is either calming, invigorating or evoked emotions in such a way that I was kept enthusiastic enough to go on even after I died time after time after time... in fact, I had slightly under 10 000 deaths when I had collected every single blue heart, strawberry, and beaten every A and B-side stage...and while dying constantly at one specific part got...I won't lie, infuriating, not one of those deaths pushed me over the edge to the point where I had to ever turn the game off in frustration. That, in my eyes, is the hallmark of a great soundtrack...that and the fact that I can't get some of the songs out of my head. 

Furthermore, Lena Raine (also known as Kuraine) stated in an interview that she drew a lot of musical inspiration out of her personal experience(s) with depression since the main character is a young lady struggle with similar mental health issues herself. This reflected really well in some parts of the soundtrack - especially the track "In the mirror". Listening to it in-game was almost surreal. In my own opinion, it conveys the feeling of scared loneliness, isolation and helplessness that Madeline feels in that chapter so well...almost like a reflection of what those feelings are actually like, in musical form. Speaking of reflections, you may find a surprise when you "reflect" on this song yourself...I'll leaves it open to your interpretation what I mean.

And then came the B-side remixes. Oh, my goodness, gracious, perfection does exist.

Okay, okay, I'm just kidding. Jazz isn't even my favourite genre. However, I cannot stress how amazing these remixes are, especially Mirror Temple (Mirror Magic Mix), which I linked above. Each remix was made with the help of a guest artist, featuring some well-known names such as "In love with a ghost", among some lesser-known artists as well. Regardless of reputation though, I found that every artist did a wonderful track on each of the B-side levels. Each remix changes up the "original" song so much, that they could hold up on their own. If you'd like to hear these awesome themes for yourself, Lena Raine has uploaded each track to her youtube channel.

Each of Celeste's A-side themes gives off a feeling that not only feels connected to the story but the game itself. Take the A-side theme of the first level, for example. Appropriately named "First steps", it conveys a feeling of courage - which I'd say is rather important for the daunting task of climbing a mountain, while still managing to remind one of the mysteries Celeste mountain holds, and the caution one must have while climbing it. I'd love to explain why the music "feels" this way, but when it comes to music theory, I don't know much more than the basics.

Conversely, the B-side remixes may not hold quite as much emotional impact in relation to the "themes" behind each level, but this is justifiable as:

1. The B-Side stages are not part of the story, but rather are meant as bonus challenges to be enjoyed by masochists those truly looking for a challenge - thus it is actually fitting that each remix changes up the song in its own way.
2. I cannot stress this enough: Each remix changes up the original tune so much they may as well be tributes or parodies rather than remixes.

That being said, Celeste's soundtrack isn't perfect. Not everyone will understand or even care about the emotions that each song represents, and even I found myself getting bored of one particular song after hearing it over and over on a level I just couldn't manage to beat. Even with these slight nitpicks though, Celeste has what has quickly become one of my favourite OSTs (Original SoundTracks) of all time, and I'll be sure to use it (or at least the calmer songs) as study music when my next exams roll around.

Now, as for the sound effects in Celeste (this part is...not incredibly interesting, so feel free to skip it if you'd like)... this is one of the things that, when examined closely, reveal just how much the team behind Celeste loved to include even the littlest details. For example, there's a sound for every substance your character can walk on. I know that probably doesn't sound too impressive...Most games at least have different sounds for when your character is walking on wood/through grass/on metal, etc, but Celeste takes that up to eleven. Despite them sounding similar, you can still hear slight differences from when Madeline is walking on the frozen ground vs. regular dirt.  Most of us would have been none the wiser if they had just included the same sound for both substances, yet they took the long route it so that the two sounds are distinguishable if you turn the music down.

 Now I could go over every little detail of every little sound effect, but I'm pretty sure nobody, including myself, wants to read about that. So instead, let's go over another very important sound effect... character "voices". Much like beloved games such as Animal Crossing, character voices are more-or-less completely synthesized "mumbling". If you have no idea what I mean, you'll understand what I'm saying once you hear the "voices" for yourself. Each voice, however, suits the character speaking very well. Madeline's own "voice" is high-pitched, and sounds a bit cautious - as if Madeline is more of an introverted type. When she acts sarcastic or serious, the tone of her "voice" changes to match.

Without using even a single actual spoken word [all speech between characters is shown in text boxes], feelings (i.e Fear, Excitement) and the intonation (i.e Sarcasm, laughing), in a character's voice is accurately conveyed.

Too bad you can't hear any of this since you're reading this blog instead of playing the game.

Furthermore, each voice fits its character very well. For example, if you happened to be wondering about Badeline's voice, it's more of an inverted version of Madeline's own voice - she is Part of Her, after all. In short, the "voices" in this game are silly but work well nonetheless.

AUDIO:
Music: 10/10 [A+/Masterful]
Sound Effects & Voices: 9.5/10 [A+/Incredible]
Overall: 9.75/10 [A+/Masterful]

Visuals

An exceedingly common trait in indie games, [see definition below] especially platformers, are retro-styled [also known as "Retraux"] pixelated graphics.

While these do give some games the nostalgic feeling which draws so many gamers in, pixel-graphics have become cliché and a telltale sign of laziness, especially if they make the game look worse than the classics they're styled after - little to no lighting effects, stiff animation, over-reliance on a very primary colour palette to prevent the game from looking bland  (which can actually make the game look blander.)

Fortunately, Celeste, while still using pixelated graphics, manages to avoid the art style clichés that I just mentioned...most of the time. Each level has a different colour scheme, and the backgrounds are full of objects that help each level to look gorgeous in its own way while standing out from the rest. Simple things - such as how the stars glimmer or how, when Madeline dashes through translucent blocks, she creates a ripple effect behind her - help create a truly wonderful atmosphere that you won't easily find in another pixelated game.

Madeline's incredibly fluid movement only adds to the immense charm this game already had.

Some areas can seem a bit too shiny, however - everything seems to glow in Celeste. Items glow, water glows, Madeline's hair glows (in the dark)... this is fine most of the time, but on levels with a brighter colour palette, and mellow sunrise/sunset backgrounds, it can be distractingly bright. Of course, maybe it's partially my fault that I found those levels too "bright", I played Celeste in my room, where a lot of light comes in. One other complaint I had was the very rare, but still noticeable graphical glitch, like the world map not loading in properly once or twice when I turned the game. Still, this was so rare I couldn't even obtain a screenshot of it, so it probably won't affect your experience much.

Aside from having a pixelated art style for the gameplay, Celeste actually takes a few unique stylistic choices that aren't very common in games.  For example, the world map screen is a polygonal landscape that reminds me somewhat of Monument Valley.

Furthermore, the world-map interface, along with character portrait art, has a distinct, cutesy yet comical style to it. I can't put my finger on what exactly it resembles, maybe it was just some manga I read a few years back, but I found it to be a nice addition regardless.

Overall, Celeste has a varied blend of styles that create a visually interesting experience that only adds to the games' immersive-ness. It's not perfect, mind you - there really isn't any in-universe reason why there's such a unique blend of art styles, but the game is really good-looking nonetheless. As a result, some areas, when coupled with the amazing music, can be truly breathtaking. 

Visuals - 8/10  [B / Exceptional, with a few flaws.]

Appropriate...ness*.

* = Does not affect final/overall score.

For a game that includes a character who struggles with depression, a pretty mature topic, Celeste is surprisingly amusing, yet courteous. The game is rather serious when it needs to be, and things like Madeline's problems coping with anxiety are never presented in a degrading, joking fashion. The music fits incredibly well with such situations too.

As for things that might actually scare or offend someone [language, violence, gore], such things are pretty much nonexistent in-game. When Madeline dies, she just kinda explodes into circles...actually, I made that sound more violent than it actually is. Furthermore, while the game's topics and themes might not be terribly engaging or appropriate for someone really young, I had no problem playing the game with my ten-year-old younger brother watching me...and laughing when I died.

The message taught in this game is one that's hard to talk about without spoiling the game itself. It's inspirational and I think it drives the point Celeste is trying to make home wonderfully, but again, you'll have to play the game for yourself to see what I mean.

Appropriate-ness Base Score: 50%
No nudity/promiscuity: +15%
Cartoonish violence: -5%
Mature topics(?): -10%
Clean language: +15%
Inspiring and empowering moral: + 15%
= 80% (Pretty much completely appropriate for anyone above 7-9 years old)

Time to completion

Speedrun = 2 hours

Main Story, no extras. = 6-12 hours

Main Story, extras (Strawberries, a few hearts) = 12-30 hours

Main Story, extras, Post-game content partially finished = 18-45 hours

My playthrough (I'm still finishing Post-game content) = 50 hours

100% Completion = 30-60 hours

Final Scoring

Story: 9.5/10

Gameplay: 10/10

Audio average: 9.75/10

Graphics: 8/10
Average Score: 9.31/10

Overall Score: 9.5/10 [Masterpiece]

Celeste is nothing short of a masterpiece, even with its few-and-far-between flaws. It's a game that combines great gameplay and an astonishing soundtrack with a really touching and relatable story for those who have struggled with mental illness. Even if you've never enjoyed frustratingly hard games, I'd strongly encourage you to pick up Celeste [Assist mode is there if you need it, after all]. It's my current GOTY so far this year, and it's also already one of my favourite games...period. And hey, at only about 20$ CAD (for the steam release, at least), it's nothing short of a steal. So do yourself a favour if you enjoy platformers, and pick up this game up. I promise you won't be disappointed.