This review contains spoilers
Ladies and gentlemen of this website: I have something important to inform you. I have an anxiety disorder. I've had it since I was about twelve years of age, and it's been a regular struggle since then. I constantly worry over the most minor of instances and things I have no control over, I have a hard time mellowing out in social circles, I constantly have negative thoughts, and caffeine is my worst enemy. If I let my anxiety disorder take control of my life, I get really depressed, but I'll be damned to just let it engulf me. I exercise regularly to curb the anxious feelings, mostly very long walks but I do go to the gym regularly (or at least I did before the covid epidemic), and they always help a great deal. I'm telling you this because my journey with my anxiety disorder is a lot like climbing a mountain, an arduous task that takes a bit of discipline and courage, and the obvious metaphor in Celeste for struggling with mental illness. The summit you climb in Celeste is incredibly difficult, as I'm sure you can imagine. What summit isn't hard to climb in real life? It may get so challenging that you'll struggle to persevere. However, Celeste constantly reminds you that you can do it. You have the strength to overcome the seemingly impossible odds. You just have to keep believing in yourself. Once you do that, you will experience one of the best 2D platformers in recent memory.
You play as Madeline, a young woman with strawberry red hair. Madeline is her canon name, but you can name her whatever you want. This is done to project the protagonist's struggle on the player. Madeline's mission is to climb the summit, a daunting task that only a few people have ever done. Her purpose for this isn't really all that clear. Madeline is just climbing the mountain as a means to distract herself from her inner demons and affirm her full potential. I suppose climbing the summit for her is like my walks. It's a therapeutic distraction to calm one's mind. However, the walks I take are not nearly as challenging as the feats that Madeline has to overcome in this game.
If I had to compare the gameplay of Celeste to another game, it certainly reminds me of Super Meat Boy. The fast-paced 2D platforming, the strict margin of error when it comes to dying, and the puzzle-like way of crafting each level. The way these two games differ is in overall tone and direction. Super Meat Boy is high-octane silliness that plays like a seven-year-old after slurping down their first Red Bull. It's supposed to test the limits of your reflexes and your reaction times. Celeste, on the other hand, is more restrained and methodical. The challenges are just as multi-faceted and test your skills, but how you approach them is different. You are supposed to take a deep breath and heavily consider what you are supposed to do. You might fail several times, but each failure is treated as a growing pain before you succeed instead of a slight against your abilities. This game does keep track of absolutely every die you die, however, which I found to be quite irritating. Super Meat Boy would probably be more stressful for me if it were calculating every failure, but I don't think it's supposed to be irritating in Celeste. You're supposed to die a lot in Celeste. I think it's to signify a change in your skill level, and you're supposed to reflect on it once you're victorious. It kind of stressed me out all the same. It's a little counterintuitive to what they were trying to convey here.
There are seven main levels in the story and two epilogue levels. Each level is entirely unique from one another and has its own gimmick. One level uses big, translucent globs of energy to propel Madeline upward or forward. One level uses high-altitude wind as an obstacle. One level, my least favorite gimmick, includes red mold that grows if you step on an area with its premature, grass-like state. If you step on the fully grown mold, it will kill you instantly. There are also mold blobs with eyeballs at this level that shift around in patterns. I don't know why this is my least favorite level, but the mold really stressed me. Some of the levels are totally linear, and some of them are maze-like, involving keys for locked doors and different passages ways that lead back to the main objective. The seventh level is a culmination of all the themes and features presented in every previous level. The level variation is one of the strengths of this game, and the length of each level is perfect. It's mostly a case of your personal skill level more than anything else. The one collectible in Celeste is strawberries. The ending will be determined by how many strawberries you've collected. I don't know the significance behind the strawberries, but collecting them will add a certain level of challenge to the game besides getting past each level.
If you thought the main game was difficult, the B-sides in this game would teach you the meaning of pain and suffering. Every single level has a remixed version that you unlock by finding a cassette tape in each level (and by trying to reach it with the rhythmically challenged, disappearing blue and pink platforms). These B-side levels are serious business. The B-side version of the first level might be harder than any of the levels in the base game. Each section will take a ton of time to master each section and a huge amount of patience. To make matters even more stressful, there are even C-side levels which are the epitome of testing your reflexes. Once you complete these levels, you will feel like you've transcended your human form into a nimble, thumb-having cat.
The game also looks and feels fantastic. The graphics blur the line between 8-bit kitsch and modern indie game flair. The color palette of each level, whether it be lighter or darker, is always vibrant and attractive. One little aspect that I like is being able to always tell what color Madeline's hair is. Red signifies that you can use her boost ability, and blue signifies that you can't. A lot of 8-bit games can come with graphical challenges that would make this hard to discern, but it's always crystal clear in Celeste. The music also blurs that same retro style with modern sensibilities. I wouldn't quite say that it's an 8-bit, chiptune score, but a lot of the music sounds like a progressive electronic group such as Tangerine Dream, filtered through NES-era instrumentation. Another little feature I liked about this is the music being dampened whenever Madeline was underwater. The comic-like animations between levels are nice to look at, and the warbled, theremin-Esque dialogue between the characters is always amusing. If you find it annoying, you can always skip any cutscene. Still, I don't recommend it on your first go of this game because the characters represent a lot in terms of Celeste's overarching theme of struggling with mental illness.
There are only a couple of characters in Celeste, but they are all significant. Madeline, as you know, is the self-doubt-ridden, anxious protagonist on a mission to conquer her inner demons by making it up the mountain. In the first level, she meets a young man named Theo, who is also climbing up the summit, but for much less personal reasons. He becomes friendly with Madeline and says her perseverance reminds him of his sister. He represents the friends of the mentally ill, the ones who are going through the same journey in life but are detached from the experiences of their mentally ill friends. Once Madeline has an intense panic attack, Theo does his best to comfort her, but he still doesn't understand the full impact of what Madeline is going through. He still banters and slightly teases her, but in good taste. The Old Woman lives on the summit and scoffs at Madeline for having ridiculous aspirations to climb the summit, which angers Madeline. They both come around to each other eventually, but she is seen as an annoyance to Madeline. The Old Woman probably represents the people who echo our insecurities whether they mean to or not.
Mr. Oshiro owns the hotel level in chapter three. He's a small, needy, and pathetic man with worse self-doubt than Madeline. He also seems to be in denial about his hotel because it closed down several years ago, and it's become so dilapidated that mold is running rampant (literally) throughout. Madeline becomes irritated with the constant neediness that she erupts on him. Mr. Oshiro becomes so upset that he transforms into a monster and chases Madeline. He represents empathy, or anyone's ability to empathize with someone who is also suffering. Madeline's behavior towards him might represent the struggle to do so when there is already so much on one's plate.
The antagonist, the most important character, is Madeline's inner demon, personified as Madeline with purple hair, dark clothes, and red eyes. She does not have a cannon name, probably to stay consistent with the fact that you can choose Madeline's name, but I think the commonly used name "Badeline" is kind of dumb. "Negative Madeline" pops up for the first time during the second level when Madeline looks in a mirror, a distorted version of her own reflection. She constantly says negative, effacing things to Madeline, trying to destroy her self-confidence. She also chases you during two levels to try to eliminate your chances of ever achieving your goals which is a perfect way to illustrate the feeling of self-doubt. The one keeping Madeline from achieving her goals isn't the mountain's obstacles but herself. She is her own worst enemy. During level six, there is a showdown between Madeline and her negative self culminating in peace between the two. The final level has Madeline working with herself to climb the last few miles up the summit. I think the way Celeste goes about dealing with the antagonist is bloody brilliant. An antagonist, in most senses, is a person or being that should be wiped away by the protagonist to achieve the goal, or maybe defeating them is the primary purpose. This is kind of difficult to do when the antagonist is yourself. By working together, Madeline can boost twice with pink hair and make it through terrain she couldn't before. By making peace with herself, she can now accomplish more than she ever could before. That's exactly the secret of accomplishing anything in life. That is the secret to reaching the top of the summit and completing Celeste.
I've seen plenty of games before tackle issues with mental illness and struggles with one's own personal being, but I don't think any game has done it the same way as Celeste. It represents the struggle of mental illness and self-doubt with cleverness and maturity. It might be a difficult 2D platformer on the surface, but there is so much more to unravel in its presentation. After this game beat my ass repeatedly, I never gave up. Celeste wants you to struggle, but in that struggle, you will emerge as a stronger, more resilient person just like Madeline.
You Can Do It.
———
Attribution: https://erockreviews.blogspot.com
You play as Madeline, a young woman with strawberry red hair. Madeline is her canon name, but you can name her whatever you want. This is done to project the protagonist's struggle on the player. Madeline's mission is to climb the summit, a daunting task that only a few people have ever done. Her purpose for this isn't really all that clear. Madeline is just climbing the mountain as a means to distract herself from her inner demons and affirm her full potential. I suppose climbing the summit for her is like my walks. It's a therapeutic distraction to calm one's mind. However, the walks I take are not nearly as challenging as the feats that Madeline has to overcome in this game.
If I had to compare the gameplay of Celeste to another game, it certainly reminds me of Super Meat Boy. The fast-paced 2D platforming, the strict margin of error when it comes to dying, and the puzzle-like way of crafting each level. The way these two games differ is in overall tone and direction. Super Meat Boy is high-octane silliness that plays like a seven-year-old after slurping down their first Red Bull. It's supposed to test the limits of your reflexes and your reaction times. Celeste, on the other hand, is more restrained and methodical. The challenges are just as multi-faceted and test your skills, but how you approach them is different. You are supposed to take a deep breath and heavily consider what you are supposed to do. You might fail several times, but each failure is treated as a growing pain before you succeed instead of a slight against your abilities. This game does keep track of absolutely every die you die, however, which I found to be quite irritating. Super Meat Boy would probably be more stressful for me if it were calculating every failure, but I don't think it's supposed to be irritating in Celeste. You're supposed to die a lot in Celeste. I think it's to signify a change in your skill level, and you're supposed to reflect on it once you're victorious. It kind of stressed me out all the same. It's a little counterintuitive to what they were trying to convey here.
There are seven main levels in the story and two epilogue levels. Each level is entirely unique from one another and has its own gimmick. One level uses big, translucent globs of energy to propel Madeline upward or forward. One level uses high-altitude wind as an obstacle. One level, my least favorite gimmick, includes red mold that grows if you step on an area with its premature, grass-like state. If you step on the fully grown mold, it will kill you instantly. There are also mold blobs with eyeballs at this level that shift around in patterns. I don't know why this is my least favorite level, but the mold really stressed me. Some of the levels are totally linear, and some of them are maze-like, involving keys for locked doors and different passages ways that lead back to the main objective. The seventh level is a culmination of all the themes and features presented in every previous level. The level variation is one of the strengths of this game, and the length of each level is perfect. It's mostly a case of your personal skill level more than anything else. The one collectible in Celeste is strawberries. The ending will be determined by how many strawberries you've collected. I don't know the significance behind the strawberries, but collecting them will add a certain level of challenge to the game besides getting past each level.
If you thought the main game was difficult, the B-sides in this game would teach you the meaning of pain and suffering. Every single level has a remixed version that you unlock by finding a cassette tape in each level (and by trying to reach it with the rhythmically challenged, disappearing blue and pink platforms). These B-side levels are serious business. The B-side version of the first level might be harder than any of the levels in the base game. Each section will take a ton of time to master each section and a huge amount of patience. To make matters even more stressful, there are even C-side levels which are the epitome of testing your reflexes. Once you complete these levels, you will feel like you've transcended your human form into a nimble, thumb-having cat.
The game also looks and feels fantastic. The graphics blur the line between 8-bit kitsch and modern indie game flair. The color palette of each level, whether it be lighter or darker, is always vibrant and attractive. One little aspect that I like is being able to always tell what color Madeline's hair is. Red signifies that you can use her boost ability, and blue signifies that you can't. A lot of 8-bit games can come with graphical challenges that would make this hard to discern, but it's always crystal clear in Celeste. The music also blurs that same retro style with modern sensibilities. I wouldn't quite say that it's an 8-bit, chiptune score, but a lot of the music sounds like a progressive electronic group such as Tangerine Dream, filtered through NES-era instrumentation. Another little feature I liked about this is the music being dampened whenever Madeline was underwater. The comic-like animations between levels are nice to look at, and the warbled, theremin-Esque dialogue between the characters is always amusing. If you find it annoying, you can always skip any cutscene. Still, I don't recommend it on your first go of this game because the characters represent a lot in terms of Celeste's overarching theme of struggling with mental illness.
There are only a couple of characters in Celeste, but they are all significant. Madeline, as you know, is the self-doubt-ridden, anxious protagonist on a mission to conquer her inner demons by making it up the mountain. In the first level, she meets a young man named Theo, who is also climbing up the summit, but for much less personal reasons. He becomes friendly with Madeline and says her perseverance reminds him of his sister. He represents the friends of the mentally ill, the ones who are going through the same journey in life but are detached from the experiences of their mentally ill friends. Once Madeline has an intense panic attack, Theo does his best to comfort her, but he still doesn't understand the full impact of what Madeline is going through. He still banters and slightly teases her, but in good taste. The Old Woman lives on the summit and scoffs at Madeline for having ridiculous aspirations to climb the summit, which angers Madeline. They both come around to each other eventually, but she is seen as an annoyance to Madeline. The Old Woman probably represents the people who echo our insecurities whether they mean to or not.
Mr. Oshiro owns the hotel level in chapter three. He's a small, needy, and pathetic man with worse self-doubt than Madeline. He also seems to be in denial about his hotel because it closed down several years ago, and it's become so dilapidated that mold is running rampant (literally) throughout. Madeline becomes irritated with the constant neediness that she erupts on him. Mr. Oshiro becomes so upset that he transforms into a monster and chases Madeline. He represents empathy, or anyone's ability to empathize with someone who is also suffering. Madeline's behavior towards him might represent the struggle to do so when there is already so much on one's plate.
The antagonist, the most important character, is Madeline's inner demon, personified as Madeline with purple hair, dark clothes, and red eyes. She does not have a cannon name, probably to stay consistent with the fact that you can choose Madeline's name, but I think the commonly used name "Badeline" is kind of dumb. "Negative Madeline" pops up for the first time during the second level when Madeline looks in a mirror, a distorted version of her own reflection. She constantly says negative, effacing things to Madeline, trying to destroy her self-confidence. She also chases you during two levels to try to eliminate your chances of ever achieving your goals which is a perfect way to illustrate the feeling of self-doubt. The one keeping Madeline from achieving her goals isn't the mountain's obstacles but herself. She is her own worst enemy. During level six, there is a showdown between Madeline and her negative self culminating in peace between the two. The final level has Madeline working with herself to climb the last few miles up the summit. I think the way Celeste goes about dealing with the antagonist is bloody brilliant. An antagonist, in most senses, is a person or being that should be wiped away by the protagonist to achieve the goal, or maybe defeating them is the primary purpose. This is kind of difficult to do when the antagonist is yourself. By working together, Madeline can boost twice with pink hair and make it through terrain she couldn't before. By making peace with herself, she can now accomplish more than she ever could before. That's exactly the secret of accomplishing anything in life. That is the secret to reaching the top of the summit and completing Celeste.
I've seen plenty of games before tackle issues with mental illness and struggles with one's own personal being, but I don't think any game has done it the same way as Celeste. It represents the struggle of mental illness and self-doubt with cleverness and maturity. It might be a difficult 2D platformer on the surface, but there is so much more to unravel in its presentation. After this game beat my ass repeatedly, I never gave up. Celeste wants you to struggle, but in that struggle, you will emerge as a stronger, more resilient person just like Madeline.
You Can Do It.
———
Attribution: https://erockreviews.blogspot.com