Within these interactions, the game doesn’t shy away from delving into deeper topics of depression and anxiety, without it ever feeling overbearing or tacked on. For example, a selfie-loving hiker named Theo is a constant, lighthearted foil to your own, darker persona. Beautiful masocore games are a rare breed, but how many of them have characters you actually care about? Here, in her quest to conquer the mountain, Celeste’s protagonist comes across a handful of interesting characters. These presentation values are put to good use in a charming, personal tale. And the adventure is held together by a gorgeous low-poly 3D model of Celeste Mountain that helps to convey the scale and trajectory of the climb. These visuals are backed by a stellar score from Lena Raine, whose synthy chiptune beats harken back to the days of Donkey Kong Country. The aforementioned resort level is filled with peeling wallpaper, rusted elevator cages and moonlit mountain views, while a later level set in a temple features spooky totems and spinning torches. Inspired by the SNES era, the characters and environments in Celeste are vibrant and memorable, adding way more visual charm than the genre usually provides. The game is home to some of the best 2D pixel art I’ve seen. But where it really sets itself apart is in its incredible presentation values. So if you were worried about this being a watered-down masocore experience, worry not.Ĭeleste feels like a very capably made platformer, easily on par with other masocore greats. In one such B-Side, I died more times than I had in the entire main game. The game’s eight worlds are paired with eight “B-Sides.” These alternate worlds bring the obstacles of the main game back with a vengeance, placing them in ways that demand absolute perfection. Once you hit the credits, though, the gloves come off. So how does a game with such simple controls maintain interest? For one, the world around you, the eponymous mountain, is filled with a variety of locales and objects that put a spin on your seemingly limited set of moves.Ĭeleste’s depth isn’t immediately obvious You may find strawberries, but those are just for noms (which is to say, they serve no greater purpose than tempting you to perform non-mandatory challenges liberally sprinkled onto each stage).
You’re not going to be picking up items, upgrading stats or finding costumes that give you the power to fly or spit fireballs. It’s a 2D platformer you run, jump, climb walls and air-dash. Ĭeleste’s depth isn’t immediately obvious. If you want curated lists of our favorite media, check out What to Play and What to Watch. When we award the Polygon Recommends badge, it’s because we believe the recipient is uniquely thought-provoking, entertaining, inventive, or fun - and worth fitting into your schedule. Polygon Recommends is our way of endorsing our favorite games, movies, TV shows, comics, tabletop books, and entertainment experiences.
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