A Simple Game about Climbing a Mountain. (Celeste review)

     Stop me if you've heard this one before. A girl has decided to climb up a mountain, then the path before her crumbles almost immediately and she begins to fall to her doom. That is, until a bird flutters by and tells the girl to press X to do a double jump. Not ringing any bells? Well, that would be because you haven't played a little game called Celeste. A game that starts with the simplest of ideas and stories, and evolves into one of the best indie games I've ever played. It's literally a game about climbing up a mountain, but it ends up being something much far greater than that. Today I'm going to be talking about Celeste, the little indie platformer that could, and while it does, it treads on deeper ground than anyone really thought it would.

How can you do something without preparing for it?

    In this game, you play as Madeline, a girl who's determined to climb Mount Celeste, even though she knows nothing about climbing up a mountain. Along her way, she runs into all kinds of different challenges that face her in different ways, as if climbing up a mountain isn't hard enough. Fortunately for her, she has some kind of magic power that allows her to double jump as long as her hair is glowing. Along with the harsh terrain associated with climbing a mountain (which is quite brutal, to say the least), she's also met with Mr. Ochiro, who is a ghost who runs an inn and is obsessed with the well-being of the establishment, which is obviously in serious disrepair. He attempts to hold Madeline there against her will as the inn hadn't had any visitors in a while, and when she says no and tells him that the building is run down, Oshiro snaps and turns into a much more formidable version of himself and begins chasing her with all of his ghostly powers. Mr. Oshiro is far from the only one that she faces, as Madeline's own reflection is probably one of the scariest monsters that she encounters on her trek up Mount Celeste.

Self Doubt and Anxiety are your Greatest Enemies Here

    Madeline's reflection is encountered pretty early on in the game, and her sole purpose seems to prey on the self doubts of the hopeful climber. After poking fun at you for a while, she breaks free of the mirror that she's trapped in and begins chasing you through a distorted world of mirrors. This is a continual character who pops up from time to time throughout the game and eventually the game hits a climax in a battle against her, and then something really interesting happens immediately following her defeat. Instead of finishing off Madeline's darker side, they have a conversation. She and her depressed state come to the understanding that they both really want her to succeed, and together, she can achieve even greater things than she's already done. After some truly heartfelt dialogue, Madeline's reflection of herself which has spent the whole game making fun of her or trying to kill her reveals itself to be the part that she hates about herself, then fuses with her once she accepts it. Madeline's hair turns pink and she's now able to use a triple jump to show just how much she can do once her full potential is met.

A Tale of Friends and Metaphors

    Of course, this whole adventure is wracked with metaphor, as the entire game of climbing a mountain could be perceived as being about overcoming any sort of challenge. In her case mainly, it's meant to illustrate her getting over her own self doubts and depression and trying something new that she doesn't know much about. I could also see that this could have been dealing with all other sorts of things. For example, Madeline runs into another hiker on her climb named Theo who is an "InstaPix" blogger and he's climbing the mountain mostly to get pictures of the scenery so that he'll be able to get more followers. He's a neat character because you're able to talk to him at certain locations in the story and see what he's climbing for. He's a nice guy and a good friend who tries to help Madeline accept herself and feel more comfortable when meeting other people. He even teaches her a special breathing technique in a heavy scene where she begins having a panic attack. It's an important scene, and it does a good job of showing that sometimes, it really does help to have a friend to talk to in those difficult moments. Theo is an interesting character, and one that gives Madeline a foil to bounce off of. Theo is certainly more sociable than Madeline, though he's also had his share of issues, and he helps her become more friendly as the game continues on.

    Celeste is a wonderful game, and on top of covering some really difficult subject matter, it's a legitimately fun and challenging platformer, that easily stands out amongst all of the indie games that I've played in a long time. It's an important game to play not only if you're suffering from depression or anxiety, but even if you just need a bit of a morale boost, which is something that everyone could use every now and then. This game is full of creative potential, with each new area introducing some new mechanic or power up, and ending the game with a non stop gauntlet as you eventually make your way to the peak of Mount Celeste. Even once you've reached the peak, Madeline has accepted herself as she is, and made some friends along the way, the game still isn't finished if you don't want it to be. There are quite a few secrets and collectibles that will reveal an ending secret area, as well as another one that was added back in 2019. These challenges are brutal, and I've never completed them, so as such I won't be spoiling those here, but I'm sure they're just as heartfelt and great as the normal ending was. I would definitely recommend this game to anyone who likes platformers, though it may be a bit too hard for more casual players. The best way to handle the challenge is to just take your time, you'll get through it eventually. Just like life, the best way to overcome that challenge ahead of you is to just take slow, deep breaths, calm down, and relax. You'll reach the top of your mountain, just like Madeline does.

    Thanks so much for reading this post, friends! I hope you're doing well and I hope you've enjoyed this post. I loved this game and I've replayed it at least once since beating it the first time. While the bonus objectives are a bit too rough for my taste, I may go back and get them sometime. The story of this game is incredible, and tackles some truly difficult subject matter while also making time to be silly. There's a very good reason that this game was nominated for Game of the Year back in 2018 when it was announced. Until next time, friends, I've been your Self-Proclaimed Mountain Climber, and I'll talk to you next week.