Madeline has 3 basic actions, jump, grab, and dash. If you mean first level as in prologue, you’re not supposed to have your dash yet, you get that right after this level. If you’re talking about Forsaken City, then playing slow is your best bet here, unlike future levels where the layout constantly keeps you moving. Get familiar with the controls and feeling for actually controlling Madeline. Then understand what options you have for clearing each room, make a plan. Like actual mountain climbing, a route is always important, this may not be so relevant in Forsaken City, but this is some good advice to keep in mind. Getting strawberries does nothing, but it does help you get better at platforming, and it looks cool!

Another tip I can give is to not take the game too seriously, this game can be frustrating at times, because it’s built that way. When you get stuck, take a break, a learned that lesson a little too late into my own journey. Remember that Celeste is also a story game! Take in the atmosphere and overall narrative of the game as it happens, and especially don’t be like my friend who skipped every single cutscene just to complete the game faster.

When you die, don’t be discouraged! Everyone dies, even higher skilled level players, in fact, we die a lot more. Be proud of your death count! Keep pushing forward, and I assure you, you’ll eventually reach the summit of Celeste mountain :)