on celeste

written 20240425.

the first level of super mario brothers, is so renowned it has its own wikipedia page, and in essays and courses everywhere it remains the ubiquitous case study for how a game can introduce the player to its mechanics and the tools they will need to progress.

in a similar vein, celeste feels like a game that is going to inspire a proliferating array of world 1-1 type essays. about the way it introduces the player to its mechanics, then so very effectively tests, develops and at times completely inverts their understanding of what those mechanics can do. celeste is a finely tuned game, relentless but empathetic. every chapter introduces a new way of exploring its environments, a new way of hurling yourself at and through its world, over and over.

i’m someone who usually won’t try to hundred-percent a game. celeste transfixes me every time i play through it, sees me seeking out every strawberry, every crystal heart, every cassette tape. there’s some chapters i prefer over others, the golden ridge and reflection over the celestial resort and the mirror temple. but every chapter basically hits right in terms of what it’s introducing, how it’s asking me to navigate it.

and then celeste so neatly joins this gameplay to its story, which is sweet and humane without being saccharine. this game makes me feel as though i can go make peace with my own demons. rare for a videogame too, it makes me want to go make things of my own.