This Week I Have Been Mostly Playing…
Celeste on Nintendo Switch
You know me. My ideal game formula is platforming + pixel art + collectibles x hard as nails = Celeste. I generally have no idea how this passed me buy. It got rave reviews at the beginning of last year and it featured on about 8 game of the year lists when at 2am I bought it after a final review link from Bear. Cheers for that dude!
My formula above really doesn’t do it justice. You play as Melanie, a girl who seems to want to go find herself up while climbing the mountain Celeste. It starts out simple enough, jump onto ledges, hold onto walls (for a limited time) and a dash jump. Game changer. The fact you can dash diagonally brings all kinds of strategies. Sure, I’ve died a fair amount (how I like it) and that is often due to the Switch’s control stick, not quite as fine-tuned as it probably should be. It feels like every 10th dash is the wrong way. (Yes, Switch yet again, how else do I manage to play all these games?!).
Speaking of deaths, the game gives you a tally at the end of each level which is cool (240 on the Hotel level….). Reminding you that for all your failures you eventually triumphed. It definitely has a Super Meat Boy feel about that but whereas SMB needs you to be pixel perfect in a run as quick as possible this is a game that has a little leeway and wants you to explore. I feel I have missed a tonne of content but that can all be saved for the second play-through. Damn you collectable strawberries.
The writing is sharp with interesting characters, not least the protagonist. The game teases her background and issues weighing on her, it can be very sweet though you wonder where it is all going to end up. This is one of those games that requires special attention, during the story moments. it's a rare feeling as some tend to feel skippable. Not so in this.
The difficulty may seem off putting for some but it’s what excites me in a title. Find some time in my day, grab myself a drink, get myself comfortable on the sofa and then fire it up. Strap in, coz I'm going to fucking win. It's tough but fair. The old instant retry is in place meaning the only frustration felt is at your own lack of ability, rather than the game cheating you.
It's beautifully made and been designed to beat. I've died a lot but I don't feel like I'm failing. Super Meat Boy has you on the edge of death constantly. To beat it you must clench your teeth, grind hard and train your reflexes until they are good enough. Celeste is not completely in that vein but definitely on a par.
The graphics are your standard pixel art fair with the stunning touch of a hair colour change when your dash needs to be recharge. Every room is like a puzzle. Upon entering you see the enemies, spikes and power ups and must plot a course through it. This figuring out part is so much fun, probably the aspect of the game I love the most. You first have to be smart to work it out and then you have to be damn good at the game to implement that plan. Uniquely this must be the first plat-former I have played that makes me feel clever when I solve a new area. I went digital but thank you, Limited Run Games, for bringing out a physical version!!!
In all honesty, it's a fucking delight and well worth your money.
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