platform game
A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...
developed and published by
indie
Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Gaming
*Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies
*Indie game, any game (board ...
developer
Matt Makes Games
Madeline Stephanie Thorson (born 18 March 1988; formerly known as Matt Thorson) is a Canadian video game developer, known as one of the lead creators for the video games ''TowerFall'' and '' Celeste'', developed under the studio Matt Makes Ga ...
. It stars
Madeline
''Madeline'' is a media franchise that originated as a series of children's books written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans, an Austrian-American author. The books have been adapted into numerous formats, spawning telefilms, television series ...
, a young girl with
anxiety
Anxiety is an emotion which is characterized by an unpleasant state of inner turmoil and includes feelings of dread over anticipated events. Anxiety is different than fear in that the former is defined as the anticipation of a future threat wh ...
and depression who aims to climb Celeste Mountain. During her climb, she encounters several characters, including a personification of her self-doubt known as Badeline, who attempts to stop her from climbing the mountain.
Development of ''Celeste'' began in August 2015, when Maddy Thorson and Noel Berry participated in a four-day-long
game jam
A game jam is an event where participants try to make a video game from scratch. Depending on the format, participants might work independently, or in teams. The event duration usually ranges from 24 to 72 hours. Participants are generally program ...
, in which they created ''Celeste'' for the PICO-8. Thorson, who served as the game's producer, and Berry, who served as the lead programmer, wanted to expand the PICO-8 game into a full release. Inspired in part by Thorson's own ''
TowerFall
''TowerFall'' is an action indie video game created by Maddy Thorson through her company Matt Makes Games. In the game, players control up to four archers in a multiplayer platform fighter. It was released on the Ouya microconsole in June 201 ...
'' (2013) and '' Super Mario Bros. 3'' (1988), the gameplay was designed to be minimal, while mirroring Thorson's experiences with
bouldering
Bouldering is a form of free climbing that is performed on small rock formations or artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers use climbing shoes to help sec ...
. ''Celeste'' was also designed to be accessible, featuring
game mechanics
In tabletop games and video games, game mechanics are the rules or ludemes that govern and guide the player's actions, as well as the game's response to them. A rule is an instruction on how to play, a ludeme is an element of play like the L-shap ...
intended to make the game more forgiving in addition to an "Assist Mode" offering several options to make the game less challenging. The themes of self-forgiveness present in the narrative began with the idea of creating a "more introspective" game, and later grew to become intertwined with the gameplay. ''Celeste''s soundtrack was composed by
Lena Raine
Lena "Kuraine" Raine (born February 29, 1984), also known as Lena Chappelle, is an American-Canadian composer, producer, and video game developer. Raine is best known for her work on the soundtracks of '' Celeste'', ''Minecraft'' and ''Guild ...
.
''Celeste'' released on January 25, 2018, for
Nintendo Switch
The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...
,
PlayStation 4
The PlayStation 4 (PS4) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Announced as the successor to the PlayStation 3 in February 2013, it was launched on November 15, 2013, in North America, November 29, 2013 in ...
,
Microsoft Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for serv ...
,
MacOS
macOS (; previously OS X and originally Mac OS X) is a Unix operating system developed and marketed by Apple Inc. since 2001. It is the primary operating system for Apple's Mac computers. Within the market of desktop and lapt ...
, and
Linux
Linux ( or ) is a family of open-source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991, by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged as a Linux distribution, which ...
—it would release on
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
the following day, and on
Google Stadia
Stadia is a cloud gaming service developed and operated by Google. Known in development as Project Stream, the service debuted through a closed beta in October 2018, and publicly launched in November 2019. The service was to compete with Sony' ...
in July 2020. Upon release, it received wide acclaim—critics felt that it was one of the best games of its genre. Reviewers appreciated how the game's narrative complimented its gameplay, and the game's movement and controls were lauded as among the best in any video game. Critics also appreciated its approach to difficulty and accessibility. Reviewers lauded the story as a whole as easy to relate to or "touching", and the game's depiction of depression and anxiety were praised. The
pixel art
Pixel art () is a form of digital art drawn with graphics software, graphical software where images are built using pixels as the only building block. It is widely associated with the low-resolution graphics from 8-bit and 16-bit era computers a ...
style was also praised, and its music was considered among the best video game soundtracks, with reviewers appreciating how it complemented the gameplay.
On September 9, 2019, a free
downloadable content
Downloadable content (DLC) is additional content created for an already released video game, distributed through the Internet by the game's publisher. It can either be added for no extra cost or it can be a form of video game monetization, enablin ...
(DLC)
expansion
Expansion may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''L'Expansion'', a French monthly business magazine
* ''Expansion'' (album), by American jazz pianist Dave Burrell, released in 2004
* ''Expansions'' (McCoy Tyner album), 1970
* ''Expansio ...
to ''Celeste'' known as ''Farewell'' was released. Since release, ''Celeste'' has garnered a dedicated
fandom
A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant ...
and an active
speedrunning
Speedrunning is the act of playing a video game, or section of a video game, with the goal of completing it as fast as possible. Speedrunning often involves following planned routes, which may incorporate sequence breaking and can exploit glit ...
community. ''Celeste''s developers have stated that they do not intend to create a sequel, though a sequel to ''Celeste'' for PICO-8 titled ''Celeste 2: Lani's Trek'' released in January 2021.
platform game
A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...
.
Madeline
''Madeline'' is a media franchise that originated as a series of children's books written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans, an Austrian-American author. The books have been adapted into numerous formats, spawning telefilms, television series ...
, ''Celeste'''s
player character
A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...
, is able to run, jump,
wall jump
This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players.
0–9
A
...
, wall climb, and dash in any cardinal or intercardinal direction. Her ability to climb walls is limited to a stamina gague; she can only climb until the gague is depleted. However, her moveset is limited to these options, and additional abilities are instead granted by outside
game mechanics
In tabletop games and video games, game mechanics are the rules or ludemes that govern and guide the player's actions, as well as the game's response to them. A rule is an instruction on how to play, a ludeme is an element of play like the L-shap ...
. One of which is a crystal, which allows her ability to dash to be refilled in midair—otherwise, she can only dash again after touching safe ground. Additional mechanics react to Madeline's dash, including "dream blocks" that transport her from one side to another when dashed into. moving blocks, which can transfer their momentum to Madeline when jumped off of, and bubbles that move when dashed into and platforms that only activate after Madeline dashes. Further mechanics, such as a grabbable jellyfish that functions as a parachute and exploding pufferfish, were added in the ''Farewell'' expansion.
Many compared ''Celeste'' to ''
Super Meat Boy
''Super Meat Boy'' is a 2010 platform game designed by Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes under the collective name of "Team Meat". It was self-published as the successor to ''Meat Boy'', a 2008 flash game designed by McMillen and Jonathan McEnte ...
'' (2010), as both games have a high level of difficulty, though ''Celeste'''s difficulty can be lowered through the use of an optional "Assist Mode", which provides accessbility options such as a lowered game speed or unlimited use of the dash mechanic, as well as the option to grant Madeline full
*
{{Authority control
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