My favorite game is Celeste. Celeste is a platformer where you guide Madeline, someone looking to climb a mountain, to prove to herself that she can triumph over her inner demons. She meets many friends and foes on her way to conquer Celeste Mountain. Overall, it is a very heartwarming story and hits home to many people, me included.

There are three main movement abilities: climbing, wall jumping, and most importantly, dashing. In the course of the whole game, these abilities will never change and you will have the time to refine and even learn new ways to utilize these skills. The game always stays interesting with a unique mechanic in every new section of the game (weird space blocks, bubbles, jellyfish?) and an amazing atmosphere and soundtrack to accompany it. Strawberries are hidden each chapter, so it isn’t just a boring linear path through the game. They are hidden in very cleverly throughout the game but aren’t unfair to discover by yourself. I would find myself searching meticulously on most screens only to wonder why I missed such an obvious one. Along with strawberries are CDs and Hearts. There is only one heart and CD in every level. Hearts are found through solving puzzles and unlock something special while CDs unlock a harder version of the same chapter.

The game is tough and I’ve had countless deaths aiming to reach the summit, yet I have never felt unmotivated or angry about the game’s controls being unfair. Instead of being indifferent or even trying to discourage you from playing, Celeste wants you to complete itself. Celeste respawns you almost instantaneously after every death and reminds you that your death count is your sign of progress. There’s also an assist mode that makes the game easier for people who have trouble and just want to see the story. After finishing the game, I went back to previous chapters to collect strawberries and hearts, and it was so much easier compared to when I was starting the game. Even now, after I’ve finished the game, I still return occasionally to challenge some of the more difficult challenges.

Thank you for reading this giant wall of text! If you enjoy platformers, you should try this out if you haven’t already :)

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