Tech: Celeste review

Continuing my tradition of arriving late to the party, I recently finished the critically acclaimed indie platformer Celeste, a video game first released almost three years ago:

Celeste is one of those sadistic trial-and-error platformers in the vein of Super Meat Boy or N++, where one false move leads you to instant death and a quick reload. Your character Madeline has only three actions - jump, dash, and climb - to get through levels filled to the brim with deadly hazards. Some sections amp up the challenge to eye-watering, "You have got to be kidding me" levels, making it all the more satisfying when you finally beat them. The game is also pretty fair, with levels that eschew cruel Kaizo tricks in favor of honest (but high) difficulty.

Still, 'tis a thin line between difficult and annoying, and Celeste crosses it a few times. I always knew what to do to pass through a stage, but sometimes I simply lacked the physical dexterity to pull off the pixel and frame-perfect sequence of moves required. Despite the great retro graphics and awesome chiptunes soundtrack, after completing the game and seeing the (surprisingly poignant) story, I wussed out of tackling the ultra-hard "B-side" and "C-side" versions of the levels, much less finding all the hidden collectibles in all the stages to get to the final secret chapter. What can I say? I'm a long way from my 102% Diddy's Kong Quest days.

Rating: 87/100