Celeste is a hard game about a woman climbing a mountain, and it is also one of the best games of the decade. It is not just about the climb, though. It is about why she climbs, and what she leaves behind on the way up.
Trailer, via Maddy Thorson.
Madeline’s Ascent
You play Madeline, a young woman who has come to Celeste Mountain to prove something to herself. The mountain, however, is not a passive pile of rock. It is a place that reflects your inner turmoil, and for Madeline, that means confronting a shadow version of herself — a doppelgänger who is angry, fearful, and desperate to stop the climb. The story is quiet and personal, told in short conversations between screens rather than long cutscenes. It is a tale about anxiety and self-doubt, and it handles those subjects with a rare, gentle honesty.
The gameplay is a precise platformer in the tradition of Super Meat Boy. Madeline can run, jump, climb walls for a limited time, and perform a mid-air dash that recharges when she touches the ground. That is the entire moveset. From that small kit, the developers at Matt Makes Games have built hundreds of screens that ask you to chain these moves in ever more inventive ways. Each screen is a short, self-contained puzzle that ends when you reach the exit. Failure is instant, but so is respawning — you are back at the start of the screen in less than a second.
Chapter by Chapter
The level design is the star. The game is divided into eight chapters, each with its own theme and mechanic. The first chapter, Forsaken City, introduces the basic movement. The second, Old Site, is a ruined city that tests your timing on moving platforms. The third, Celestial Resort, is a claustrophobic exercise in timing and rhythm. The fourth, Golden Ridge, teaches you to ride gusts of wind. The fifth, Mirror Temple, is a haunted maze. The sixth, Reflection, is a chase sequence. The seventh, The Summit, is a greatest-hits tour of everything you have learned. The eighth, Core, is a final, brutal test of your mastery.
The visual style is pixel art, but it is pixel art of a very high order. The characters are expressive, with simple animations that convey a great deal of emotion. The backgrounds are detailed and atmospheric, from the golden fields at the base of the mountain to the dark, twisting corridors of the mirror temple. The game runs at a smooth 60 frames per second on all platforms, which is essential for a game that demands such precise inputs.
| Chapter | Setting | Key Mechanic |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forsaken City | Basic movement |
| 2 | Old Site | Moving platforms |
| 3 | Celestial Resort | Timing and rhythm |
| 4 | Golden Ridge | Wind gusts |
| 5 | Mirror Temple | Dark maze |
| 6 | Reflection | Chase sequences |
| 7 | The Summit | All mechanics |
| 8 | Core | Lava and ice |
The Sound of the Summit
The music is a major part of why Celeste works. The soundtrack, composed by Lena Raine, is a collection of chiptune-infused electronic tracks that shift with the mood of each chapter. The main theme, “First Steps,” is a warm, melodic piece that plays over the opening screens. The track “Resurrections,” which plays during the chase sequences, is a driving, percussive piece that makes your heart race. The music does not just sit on top of the action; it is woven into it.
“You are full of so much love and passion, but you are also full of so much pain.”
That line, spoken by a character Madeline meets on the mountain, cuts to the heart of the game. Celeste is not a game that punishes you for failing. It is a game that asks you to try again, to breathe, and to accept that the struggle is part of the process. The difficulty is high, but it is never unfair. Every death feels like your own mistake, and every success feels earned.
A Mountain Worth Climbing
Celeste is a game that respects your time. A normal playthrough will take around eight to ten hours, but the game is packed with optional content. There are strawberries hidden across the screens, which serve as collectibles for those who want an extra challenge. There are B-sides and C-sides, which are remixed, far harder versions of each chapter. There is a chapter select screen that lets you revisit any level you have completed. There is even a story about a character named Theo, who you meet on the mountain and who provides some of the game’s most touching moments.
The game also includes an assist mode, which lets you adjust the difficulty to your liking. You can slow down the game speed, give yourself extra dashes, or even make yourself invincible. This is not a concession to weakness; it is a statement of intent. Celeste is a game about overcoming obstacles, but it is also a game about letting people play at their own pace. The developers have said that they want everyone to be able to see the ending, and that is a philosophy that shines through in every design choice.
Celeste is a rare thing: a hard game that is also a gentle one. It demands precision, but it offers patience. It is a game about failure, but it is also a game about the courage to try again. The story of Madeline is one that will stay with you long after you put the controller down. The gameplay is tight, the music is excellent, and the message is true.
The game was released on January 25, 2018, for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Switch. It is a masterpiece of the platforming genre, and it deserves every bit of praise it has received.
