Celeste

Celeste is a game that flew under the radar. It is a $20 game that was released on Steam January 2018. The game looks like another boring side-scroller. On the contrary, Celeste most definitely has substance and perfects platforming mechanics. If you were wondering if the game is difficult... well, it can be. I wouldn't say it was as hard as Super Meat Boy or N+ Game. Then again, it isn't as easy as Ori and the Blind Forest or Braid. Let's consider some of my statistics for a moment.

Celeste has a total of 8 chapters. The first two levels are relatively short, 30 minutes, to get you used to the controls. 4 levels can last you 1 hour with the finale lasting 2 hours. There is one final chapter setup more as a challenge that can probably last you about an hour and a half depending on how well you perform. That means that the "main campaign" can be completed in around 8 hours. Dying is part of the course and my total deaths was right around 1,500... stupid core level. I did manage to complete the first 3 "B-side" missions, challenge levels that double the difficulty of a particular stage. However, I would highly suggest against doing these unless you are one skilled, determined player. I found my patience quickly waning when venturing through a non-story, no-secret level that only rewards you with a superficial heart of achievement.

The game is phenomenal when it comes to user-friendly options. You can save and quit at any point of the game when you feel frustrated and return when you are ready again. You are allowed to return to various checkpoints in the game to hunt down any strawberries or hearts you might have missed. Data is entirely fleshed-out with stages showing exactly what strawberry you are missing and what number strawberry you might re-obtain. Time, number of deaths, and total strawberries are recorded on a statistics page. The original Celeste game can be played within a secret area. There is also an "assist mode" that gives you added bonuses to ease the difficulty; it only adds a notation to the statistics page when used. You can skip cutscenes and retry (self-destruct) if you get stuck. All very nice features that makes the game feel polished.

Recommendations: I would totally recommend Celeste for any gamer familiar to the platforming genre. The story, setting, and characters all feel real (in their artsy kind of way). 8 hours game time for just the main storyline is fair enough for this $20 game.

 

10-27-2018