Celeste

 PC
Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. GameGrin
    Mar 29, 2022
    100
    A charming precision platformer with a pleasant story about mental health. Gorgeous graphics, beautiful music, and fantastic platforming had me coming back for more despite my thousand deaths.
  2. PCWorld
    Feb 6, 2018
    100
    Celeste’s optimism is refreshing, especially since it comes from within. It’s a call-and-response, a game that says Keep going! and waits for your next button press as confirmation, I will! You’re learning! and with every death, every obstacle stumbled against and overcome, you say I am! It’s a marriage of theme and mechanics so pure, so confident. And one hell of a platformer, too.
  3. Destructoid
    Jan 25, 2018
    100
    An essential gaming experience. Everything this team set out to do they accomplished. If you have any love for indie games, you’re about to fall head over heels. These people have created something very close to perfection.
  5. IGN
    Jan 25, 2018
    100
    Celeste is a surprise masterpiece. Its 2D platforming is some of the best and toughest since Super Meat Boy, with levels that are as challenging to figure out as they are satisfying to complete.
  6. 3DJuegos
    Jan 30, 2018
    95
    Celeste is one of the best platform games of the last years. It's a beautiful adventure with an amazing level design and perfect control system. Matt Make Games has created an incredible video game, challenging, and with a surprising storyline.
  7. Vandal
    Jan 29, 2018
    93
    Celeste is a charming, excellent platformer that becomes one of the first surprises of 2018. If you choose to play it, you’ll find a perfect gameplay, great ideas, amazing level design and a pretty interesting story.
  8. CD-Action
    May 16, 2018
    90
    Celeste has a lot going for it: virtuoso level design, top notch pixel art, fantastic chiptune soundtrack, an overall smart design, huge speedrunning potential and some deeper meaning (climbing the mountain as a metaphor of overcoming depression). Be aware though that it requires flawless precision and you will count your deaths in thousands. [04/2018, p.53]
    All this publication's reviews
  9. PC Games
    Mar 21, 2018
    90
    Along with its charming 2D retro look and awesome soundtrack the game cast a spell on me with its authentic characters.
  10. GameStar
    Feb 26, 2018
    90
    Celeste is just an outstanding platformer, but also an emotional adventure full of intimate moments.
  11. VideoGamer
    Jan 31, 2018
    90
    Celeste is special, because not only does it serve up a delight in precise platforming and environmental puzzle-solving, it also tells an emotional story of a girl trying to overcome her depression. While there are times where it feels like the mountain drains you of your will, it’s important to never stop pushing.
  12. Gamersky
    Feb 5, 2018
    89
    Obviously, Celeste is a wonderful game, with a strong storyline which you rarely see in platform games. Fantastic level design and puzzle settings give players a feeling of freshness from the beginning to the end, and the large number of levels makes this game worth the price.
  13. Games Master UK
    Feb 22, 2018
    85
    An expertly designed, tough-as-nails platformer that rarely stumbles on its march to the summit. [March 2018, p.79]
    All this publication's reviews
  14. IGN Japan
    Jan 30, 2018
    85
    If you take the time and effort and have the strength to hold onto that controller long after your fingers start hurting, you will be rewarded with a magnificent piece of art.
  15. Edge Magazine
    Feb 1, 2018
    80
    The controls are exquisitely calibrated, giving you room to adjust your trajectory in mid-air. [March 2018, p.118]
    All this publication's reviews
  16. Shacknews
    Jan 25, 2018
    80
    Those who are looking for one of the year's first true single-player challenges should look no further than Celeste. The team at Matt Makes Games has crafted a tough, yet not entirely unfair platformer, one wrapped in a touching narrative with some memorable characters.
  17. Polygon
    Jan 25, 2018
    80
    Matt Thorson, the game’s designer, is clearly a master of platforming mechanics, as evidenced by his work on TowerFall and some truly insane Super Mario Maker levels...Celeste reaches beyond, showing that tricky, well-designed platforming challenges are really just the tip of the iceberg. There’s far more underneath the surface. And maybe that’s worth dying for.
  18. PC Gamer
    Jan 25, 2018
    80
    An engaging, vibrant and challenging platformer that adds narrative to a genre often shy of it.
  19. 4P.de
    Feb 20, 2018
    74
    “They cannot be serious!” became my mantra with Celeste. I like a steep challenge, but this is way too much. While the retro platformer shows off some interesting ideas the fun largely depends on your capacity for suffering as well as patience. This is one of the hardest games out there. They cannot be serious.
This publication does not provide a score for their reviews.
This publication has not posted a final review score yet.
These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation.

In Progress & Unscored

?
  1. Ars Technica
    Jan 25, 2018
    Celeste does so many amazing things. It organically teaches players while cleverly inserting new game-changing powers into its worlds. It gives players breathing room so that they can play however they want, all while choreographing some of the most memorable platforming sequences I've ever played. It pays homage to classic, tough-as-nails platformers while climbing its own unique path...The first must-own single-player game of 2018.
  2. Eurogamer
    Jan 25, 2018
    A platformer aimed at speedrunners is also an adventure for the rest of us to savour. [Recommended]
  3. Kotaku
    Jan 25, 2018
    Some players will conquer Celeste quickly, scaling mountain walls and zipping through hallways in a frenzy. I’ll remember Celeste for a long time to come, thinking back on its mystical ruins and wind-swept peak. It’s a joyous game brimming with hope and one of the best video game jumps ever.
  5. Rock, Paper, Shotgun
    Jan 25, 2018
    Celeste is a difficult game about overcoming difficulties. Come for the challenge, stay for the joy of Madeline’s company and the generosity of this wonderful game. [RPS Recommended]

Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best PC Game of 2018
13
#13 Most Discussed PC Game of 2018
67
#67 Most Shared PC Game of 2018

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 889 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 744 out of 889
  2. Mixed: 72 out of 889
  3. Negative: 73 out of 889
  1. BarkingDoggy
    Jan 28, 2018
    10
    This game is outstanding. One of the best games I've played to date. First off, the visuals and music are so polished and beautiful. I justThis game is outstanding. One of the best games I've played to date. First off, the visuals and music are so polished and beautiful. I just want every screen of this game as my background (the backgrounds are incredibly detailed and help make the game feel very polished) and I could listen to this music for hours. I mean, each level has it's own death transition! That should give you a taste of how much love the developers put into this game. The dialogue is incredibly charming and tells a story about complicated feelings so elegantly and with so much honesty (I mean, you can feel it through the dialogue). The gameplay is incredibly fluid and its difficulty curve is perfect (However, I am a platformer afficiando, so take that with a grain of salt). I mean, seriously. Just jumping around and dashing in an empty space feels amazing, and there are so many collectibles to find using these amazing controls! You can choose to play on assist mode, or complete the game 100% and have an outstanding time no matter what. This game simply gets everything right: from skippable cutscenes to counters that help see what you missed in a level. The B-sides are just as fun as the main story and there's secrets hiding in every corner. No secret makes you want to use a walkthrough; they are well-hidden, but also well telegraphed with fun little mini-challenges in them. There are so many cool, inventive mechanics to come across while traversing through in this game... and the level design... Oh, the level design! It's absolutely perfect. This game is incredible and a great start if you want to start playing hardcore platformers.… Full Review »
  2. Selere
    Jan 26, 2018
    2
    I heard this game was a "difficult platformer", in the likes of Shovel Knight and Super Meat Boy, unfortunately what I got was a fairly "meh"I heard this game was a "difficult platformer", in the likes of Shovel Knight and Super Meat Boy, unfortunately what I got was a fairly "meh" game, with unfinished concepts(such as the strawberries you can collect that have no function whatsoever), not a lot of difficulty, and very bland and unoriginal art style.… Full Review »
  3. theNILE
    Feb 13, 2018
    0
    While for some it may still be challenging, people into hard or punishing platformers will be disappointed as the difficulty is relativelyWhile for some it may still be challenging, people into hard or punishing platformers will be disappointed as the difficulty is relatively easy and you have infinite lives. You can simply replay the last small section if you die.

    In regards to visuals, the animation is good and one of the best aspects of this game but is letdown by the off-putting graphics. Somehow they didn't get the colour right. It looks kind of unsaturated and you have bright neon colours. The characters look weird, but the added visual effects make them really bizarre and distracting.

    One of the aims of the game is to collect strawberries. You have to search for hidden areas which is very tedious and involves searching areas you've already been through but it's just a collectible.

    Overall, this game had a lot of potential but ended up mediocre in pretty much every way. The platforming mechanics aren't really interesting, obstacles are simple, bosses are easy and mostly just a pattern of moves.    … Full Review »
See all user reviews »