Celeste

 Switch
User Score
8.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1137 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 969 out of 1137
  2. Mixed: 81 out of 1137
  3. Negative: 87 out of 1137
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  1. Leo_Manzano
    Jul 22, 2019
    9
    I´m not exactly the biggest fan of 2d platformers but CELESTE get, chalenge gameplay ( dont worry have a chet mode) chilling sundtrack and history emotional that discuss mental illness in a different way so everyone can get realeted.

    I´m the middle of the game i saw my self in Madeline place, wanting to give up but continuos the climb of celeste and celebrating every steps conquered.
  2. ImSirEclipse
    Feb 23, 2018
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Celeste is game of the year so far in 2018, the simplistic controls mixed with the complex levels really make for a challenging yet incredibly rewarding experience for the player. The game stays simplistic, building upon itself adding in different mechanics each chapter. The story is also incredible, following the tale of Madeline and her anxiety - using the metaphor of climbing a mountain and comparing it to dealing with anxiety. The contrast of difficult levels compared with the simplistic and consistent controls leaves the player with a rewarding game. The games is very good at creating atmosphere making the levels and game immersive to the player. The music is also great at being in the background, allowing the player to enjoy it, while also not distracting the player.

    All in all, Celeste is a masterpiece that can easily be replayed and enjoyed time after time that any gamer that enjoys platformers should get immediately.    … Expand
  3. the80srobot
    Jun 25, 2018
    6
    A beautiful game, but the difficulty is a little over the top. I wish games like this would be smarter about difficulty: having a high skill ceiling is great, but you should not make your game inaccessible to people who are not hardcore gamers. I play games to relax, not to be frustrated - if I could refund the game, I would. This way I just won't buy the next one from this studio.
  4. kjenner
    Mar 28, 2018
    10
    Great game, really easy to get the hang of, mildly frustrating but super fair.
  5. quanta
    Jul 15, 2018
    7
    It's a good game but rather overrated.

    Pros: Fun mechanics; good (but not great) level design; captivating, colorful visuals.
    Cons: Monotonous; shallow story (2nd grade level); some mechanics are tedious (e.g. when the wind blows against the character).
  6. Kerr52
    Aug 5, 2018
    9
    Awesome platformer, one of the best on Switch right now. It starts incredibly well, the middle is a little bit boring and the final levels are great. C-sides are a bit too much though.
  7. mocochang
    Sep 6, 2020
    6
    As a platformer it's a fun game. The difficulty pretty fair, you die a bunch, but aside from a death count there isn't really any repercussions to dying other than having to try again from the beginning of that small area, so it's no big deal. Overall I was pleased with the difficulty level and had fun playing through this game, though it does get a bit boring at times.

    However, one of    As a platformer it's a fun game. The difficulty pretty fair, you die a bunch, but aside from a death count there isn't really any repercussions to dying other than having to try again from the beginning of that small area, so it's no big deal. Overall I was pleased with the difficulty level and had fun playing through this game, though it does get a bit boring at times.

    However, one of my issues with the game and the main reason I couldn't bring myself to give it a higher score is that I was not too impressed with the controllers. The mechanic of having to hold a button to hold on to the walls and manually move up and down (different than most platformers where you hold on to walls upon contact and slowly slide down) combined to a dash ability that didn't feel very precise (I found that the game was a little too sensitive in detecting dashes as a diagonal movement when you're actually trying to go straight) made me not love the flow of the movements in this game, and as a platformer that's a big deal. The movement mechanics were obviously a design choice, and I suppose it's purely going to depend of the opinion of the player, but, personally, while I wouldn't call it bad and I did get used to it fairly quickly, I also I didn't love it. The flow of the movements just didn't feel great for me.

    Another point that I didn't love was some of the visual design aspects of the levels. Sometimes things are not very visible or clear. For example, chapter 4 has some pink platforms in front of a pink background. I found myself more often than I would like to admit not noticing at first something that was right in front of my face and obviously made to be used (and I mean literally not seeing it at first). As this is not something I find myself experiencing on other games of the genre, I have to assume it's an issue I had with the design of this game in particular.

    And finally: the story. Not going to lie, I didn't like it. The dialogs, especially the ones with your "evil" self, are pretty cringy and felt pretty shallow. I understand what they were aiming for with the theme of overcoming depression and anxiety, and I have played other games that did a phenomenal job with this theme, but Celeste just wasn't one of them. Perhaps it was the characters and the dialogs, or perhaps it was that story felt out of place with the gameplay (probably both), but the story didn't really work for me and felt mostly cringy and something I wanted to skip.

    tl;dr: not one of my favorite platformers, and I probably won't be replaying it in the future, but I still had fun as a one time playthrough.    … Expand
  8. bl1rt
    Dec 29, 2018
    10
    Celeste is ridiculously hard, in a challenging and rewarding way. You have to figure out how to get through the course, and then do it with what feels like pixel-precision. It is frustrating at times, and I remember playing angry quite a lot. Yet, it's a fond memory, and making it through feels like an accomplishment. Story, music and atmosphere stay with you long after you finished theCeleste is ridiculously hard, in a challenging and rewarding way. You have to figure out how to get through the course, and then do it with what feels like pixel-precision. It is frustrating at times, and I remember playing angry quite a lot. Yet, it's a fond memory, and making it through feels like an accomplishment. Story, music and atmosphere stay with you long after you finished the game.
    I found it impossible to play with analog stick or the imprecise d-pad on the controller pro.    … Expand
  9. Superderpy
    Dec 26, 2019
    10
    Best game I have ever played. Can’t wait for celeste 2...................
  10. Abdulaziz1
    Dec 11, 2022
    10
    Very good game. assist mode is an excellent addition I only use it to slow it to 90% speed.
  11. Tyrant719
    Nov 2, 2020
    7
    This has to be one of the most overrated games of recent memory. That’s not to say it’s not good; it is. But it’s not anywhere near what it’s fans want it to be. It’s made aggravating to distract you from the bare-minimum, basic nature of everything else. If you enjoy doing the same thing over and over just to be belittled by people online who pretend to have beaten the game in a tenth ofThis has to be one of the most overrated games of recent memory. That’s not to say it’s not good; it is. But it’s not anywhere near what it’s fans want it to be. It’s made aggravating to distract you from the bare-minimum, basic nature of everything else. If you enjoy doing the same thing over and over just to be belittled by people online who pretend to have beaten the game in a tenth of the time that they actually did, this game is for you!!… Expand
  12. edubo1896
    Jul 1, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Este juego lo compre por recomendaciones en Youtube de "Los que debes de temer si tienes un Nintendo Switch" y pues bueno, lo compre sin saber nada de el, tengo que admitirlo, al inicio lo deje por que no sabia que estaba muy difícil, despues lo retome y se convirtió en mi top de juegos favoritos, más allá de lo difícil que haya sido, la historia hizo que amará a este juego a su personaje. He sufrido de falta de autoestima que fue por lo que logré conectar con el personaje, y mi pareja tiene ataques de ansiedad, me pareció maravillo e inspirador la narrativa y el desarrollo del personaje que cada nivel tiene un propósito y un fin relacionado a la ANSIEDAD ó DEPRESIÓN.

    Tuve una gran experiencia de juego y estoy seguro que otras personas tendrán otra, pero aun así, pienso que muchas personas deben de jugarlo, por este juego comencé a fijarme más en los Indies o juegos que tengan una buena narrativa y además querer ser desarrollador de videojuegos.

    Jueguenlo, es bueno, si es difícil pero tiene un propósito, despues agarras habilidad y tu curva de aprendizaje aumenta, pero es un muy buen juego y al final sientes una enorme satisfacción de acabar el juego, vale la pena    … Expand
  13. Reed_Reviews
    Oct 28, 2020
    10
    Very rarely does a game accomplish something greater than itself. Celeste does so by using its challenging and intrinsically satisfying gameplay to tell a story of mental illness and personal resiliency. Yes, the game is difficult - and for a reason. The difficulty contributes to Celeste's themes of persevering through improvement. The music is a bop and tonally fits each level to helpVery rarely does a game accomplish something greater than itself. Celeste does so by using its challenging and intrinsically satisfying gameplay to tell a story of mental illness and personal resiliency. Yes, the game is difficult - and for a reason. The difficulty contributes to Celeste's themes of persevering through improvement. The music is a bop and tonally fits each level to help create a sense of atmosphere. Controls are tight and responsive, meaning that deaths are the player's fault, not the game's fault. Although death comes often, a quick reboot feature keeps the player engaged. Upon "finishing" the game, there are plenty of speed running, completionist, and difficulty challenges to keep dedicated players coming back.

    Ultimately, some games like The Last of Us Part II try to tell a mature story at the cost of player fun. Despite being an indie title with no such production funds, Celeste manages to tell a mature story while continually being fun. Celeste is a masterpiece. This will be a game remembered for decades to come from its balance of fun and theme.    … Expand
  14. cfc1998
    Feb 19, 2021
    9
    One of the best 2D platformers of all time, with excellent level design, creative and fun mechanics. The game is hard yes, but it always gives you a fair challenge and that feeling of accomplishment when you finish it. Play it with patient and in time you would make it. Tottaly recommended.
  15. theUglyCasan0va
    Jun 15, 2022
    5
    Very over hyped. Music is by far it's.high point as the game just...isn't very fun. No idea why I fell for the hype and wasted $5 knowing it wasn't my sort of thing. Have enough frustration without a game of see how many times you die adding to it. Don't take the plunge unless you know you like trying to do the same jump 500 times.
  16. drlowdon
    Mar 25, 2020
    8
    In Celeste players take control of a girl named Madeline as she makes her way up a mountain, hopefully avoiding all manner of deadly traps and obstacles in the process.

    First and foremost Celeste is a great, albeit tough, 2d platformer. Each stage is expertly designed to test your platforming skills, and new elements are introduced at just the right time to ensure that things always    In Celeste players take control of a girl named Madeline as she makes her way up a mountain, hopefully avoiding all manner of deadly traps and obstacles in the process.

    First and foremost Celeste is a great, albeit tough, 2d platformer. Each stage is expertly designed to test your platforming skills, and new elements are introduced at just the right time to ensure that things always remain a challenge and never become stale. I won’t go into detail here so as not to spoil anything, but the way the story and gameplay link together only adds to the experience making Celeste of the best indie titles available.    … Expand
  17. Fortius
    May 22, 2022
    6
    I enjoyed it at the beginning but it became very samey over time. The storyline and characters were okay, though mostly forgettable. It's an alright game if you can pick it up for a couple bucks but it wasn't worth what I paid.
  18. darkobi
    Aug 8, 2023
    10
    I'm not going to talk about the story, or the control, or the art, or the music of the game. There are a few games that you don't know because they connect with you from the first moment. Video game ratings are always subjective to us, to our experiences, and even to the moment we play the games. I connected with Madeline from the first minute and I had an experience that reminds me that II'm not going to talk about the story, or the control, or the art, or the music of the game. There are a few games that you don't know because they connect with you from the first moment. Video game ratings are always subjective to us, to our experiences, and even to the moment we play the games. I connected with Madeline from the first minute and I had an experience that reminds me that I still love video games.… Expand
  19. themacmeister
    Mar 13, 2018
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I must admit up-front that I really enjoy difficult platformers, such as Super Meat Boy and Dustforce DX.

    The first thing you will notice is the music, which is superb, and does not get too much as you retry the more difficult rooms over and over. The remixes are also great, and the music is clearly one of the highlights of the experience.

    Stage design is superbly weighted, becoming progressively harder... to the point where hundreds (and even thousands) of deaths in a stage is not unheard of. Some of the more advanced movement tech is not clearly explained... but that is what online forums are for (wall dash-jumps are a prime example).

    Graphics are eye-wateringly beautiful... and only a few times did I accidentally walk into death because the background was too busy/colourful.

    Movement is fluid and exact... perfect for a puzzle platformer. Puzzles are clearly laid out, and with correct planning should be achievable by any casual gamer.

    Finding hidden objects (exploration) is the key to finding the (way) more difficult B-sides (and eventually C-sides) cassettes, which are harder remixes of previous levels, with remixed music to go with them. Strawberries are an added bonus for completionists, and those looking to enhance the "easier" main game.

    If you ever doubted the platforming pedigree of this game, check out the 33 minute (YES, 33 MINUTE) speedrun of this game on Youtube. It may even be lower at this point. I have been speedrunning this game for 3 days, and have gone from 3hr20min down to 1hr22min... in three days. To play the game casually, there are 40 hours PLUS of challenge... my main save has 33hrs already, with the same amount left to go.

    My original game is about 50% complete, with 3 B-sides completed and some blue hearts too... but I have 11,900 deaths so far... admittedly 2000 of those were in a single room, where I was using an incorrect strategy with a feather (which allows for limited flying) and trying to navigate through a tight opening (which you were meant to dash through) - sigh - live and learn!

    This game transcends Super Meat Boy and Dustforce with its story, which keeps you interested and motivated to finish. The movement tech is deep and satisfying, and the difficulty curve is perfect for the casual up to the hardcore platformer. If you are easily frustrated, you may wish to skip this game... but for those with the desire and skill, you will be rewarded handsomely.

    The only real issue I have with this game is the joycons, they are not designed for this level of game. My hands are an aching mess after even 30min play, and longer sessions are a recipe for carpal tunnel damage. The controllers are simply not ergonomically designed. I thoroughly recommend a Pro Controller for the D-Pad, and for the comfort. I have the PC/Mac version as well, from itch.io, and my wireless XBOX 360 controller is a pleasure to use.

    If the game was still crashing on saves (end of levels) I would take off a few points from my rating, but this has been fixed with the latest patches (along with some softlocks), so I give this highly addictive platformer a 10 out of 10.    … Expand
  20. Gloone
    Jul 12, 2018
    9
    This is an excellent platformer -- among the best ever -- and an excellent game.

    The dash mechanic is unique and fun. The additional mechanics are all great too. All of these mechanics are explored to their utmost, with perfectly crafted levels that steadily ramp up the challenge and provide great replayability with secrets and extra levels. I really have nothing more to say about the    This is an excellent platformer -- among the best ever -- and an excellent game.

    The dash mechanic is unique and fun. The additional mechanics are all great too. All of these mechanics are explored to their utmost, with perfectly crafted levels that steadily ramp up the challenge and provide great replayability with secrets and extra levels. I really have nothing more to say about the gameplay, it is simply perfectly executed and I take my hat off to the developers.

    The art and music is brilliant too.

    The story adds to the experience and complements it -- although for me it was just a little self-important and overdone. I think they could have done more with the story and also been a bit more subtle with it.

    But that's my only minor criticism. This game is close to perfect.    … Expand
  21. bonsai
    Jun 9, 2022
    7
    This is a fun game, but in no way I see why it's so acclaimed as a masterpiece, it's a fun, short and somehow forgettable experience, all in all worth the time, but not the memory.
  22. brockcheese
    Nov 18, 2018
    9
    This is a really good game with an awesome art style. Very difficult but super rewarding.
  23. TAZ-NETO
    Nov 6, 2019
    10
    um dos melhores jogos de todos os tempos, ficara marcado nesta geração de consoles
  24. SuperkenGaming
    Jul 16, 2018
    8
    Celeste
    A great game, just not for me
    Celeste is one of those ultra frustrating platformers where you play a girl named madeline trying to climb mount celeste for reasons unknown to her, the story focuses primarily on depression, anxiety, and will power… the latter 2 will definitely be tested if you choose to play celeste the way it was intedned to be played.. And in its intended state,    Celeste
    A great game, just not for me
    Celeste is one of those ultra frustrating platformers where you play a girl named madeline trying to climb mount celeste for reasons unknown to her, the story focuses primarily on depression, anxiety, and will power… the latter 2 will definitely be tested if you choose to play celeste the way it was intedned to be played..
    And in its intended state, I just don’t like it.. im not one of those people that enjoy dying 1 million times in a video game, I want to relax and enjoy my games, not be on the brink of going mad…
    Thankfully this game offers an assist mode to deal with this..
    I gave the game a shot for how it was meant to be, you get a single dash though crystals and strawberries will refill this gash, you can climb walls and it’s a bunch of dashing and doging spikes supermeat boy style..
    it didn’t take long for me to be like nah, im not doing this.. and played the rest of the game with assists on…
    at first with just infinite dodges, but this game my character some super saiyan pink hair to give the visual of clearly im cheating right now, so I thought might as well turn damage off too..
    so whats meant to be some ultra hard game for sadomasochists for me was an exploration game and I feel no shame in that, I got the story, I got to see every inch of celeste, collecting the baries, the crystal hearts, the cassetes to unlock the side b version of a chapter and better yet playing with assist doesn’t turn trophies off, and this trophy list is full of silver trophies for finding these collectables…
    Needless to say playing with assists does take away the satisfaction of completing chapters and areas..
    I got to get a feel for the games intention the most while trying to get a trophy for completing celeste on pico-8, that’s right, the devolopers are evil jerks.. I got to level 27 out of 30 before I gave up on the trophy and the platinum, so don’t think with assist mode this is all of a sudden some easy platinum trophy because it isn’t… mount celeste is going to be in your way of it one way or another..
    somehow nearly 25% of players have this trophy though, I don’t see how. The game must have only sold like 4 copies and the one person that got it is a developer or their parents just didn’t love them.
    jokes, im kidding..
    im just not one of those people that think, you know what would be fun?
    dying over and over and over and over and over and over until muscle memory and luck prevent me from doing so,
    Its not my thing…
    that being said I do again still see the greatness in this game, the brilliant level design, the brutal difficulty, the option to skip the difficulty and just explore, a great trophy list aside from the pico 8 bit..
    Celeste is a really great package for people that love retro games, stress, or trophies
    I give Celeste an 8/10    … Expand
  25. nando_u
    Feb 5, 2019
    10
    Celeste é muito mais que um jogo, um desafio onde você internamente precisa se superar devido a dificuldade e exige atenção e reflexos rápidos do jogador... Uma bela obra de arte unindo gráficos e musicas muito bem feitos, as musicas dão um tom emocional ao jogo, junto com as cores que saltam aos olhos formando uma bela composição. Além de tudo ser muito bem construído o level-design éCeleste é muito mais que um jogo, um desafio onde você internamente precisa se superar devido a dificuldade e exige atenção e reflexos rápidos do jogador... Uma bela obra de arte unindo gráficos e musicas muito bem feitos, as musicas dão um tom emocional ao jogo, junto com as cores que saltam aos olhos formando uma bela composição. Além de tudo ser muito bem construído o level-design é incrivel, fazendo até os melhores jogadores ter que usar toda sua agilidade entre frenéticos niveis e plataformas após terminar o jogo. Celeste é incrível. Uma obra de arte!… Expand
  26. JuanLuisGG14
    Mar 10, 2019
    10
    Incredible platform game, loved the message, the challenge and the soundtrack. Has a lot of side content after you finish the base game, a must!
  27. bskierys
    Sep 6, 2020
    8
    The game has one of the best level design of 2D games I played. The stories told are also great and kept me engaged in the game. The soundtrack emphasises the mood and emotions of the protagonist. The high difficulty level is not that much painful due to short levels and fast reset.

    It is one of the best 2D platformers I ever played. It took me over 20 hours until I gave up (I    The game has one of the best level design of 2D games I played. The stories told are also great and kept me engaged in the game. The soundtrack emphasises the mood and emotions of the protagonist. The high difficulty level is not that much painful due to short levels and fast reset.

    It is one of the best 2D platformers I ever played.

    It took me over 20 hours until I gave up (I completed the main 7 chapters of the game but did not finish 8th and 9th). And the reason I gave up is why I'm giving this game "only" 8/10. Although the high difficulty is intended, it may be frustrating at some times (especially if you do want to collect all those strawberries). If you want to relax after a hard day of work and play just for a half of an hour while you commute, it may be not the best experience.    … Expand
  28. kamhagh
    Jul 16, 2018
    10
    I loveeeee it!
    also the talking is the cutest thing ever!
    I don't usually like games like this! (2d pixelish etc) but this roooocks ! I mean there's already a ton of reviews but I'll try to tell what I think! the gameplay is fun as hell the Story is also nice :3 and it kinda teaches you a really good life lesson kinda. it's just nice ya know :3 the music is amazing! I    I loveeeee it!
    also the talking is the cutest thing ever!

    I don't usually like games like this! (2d pixelish etc) but this roooocks !

    I mean there's already a ton of reviews but I'll try to tell what I think!

    the gameplay is fun as hell

    the Story is also nice :3 and it kinda teaches you a really good life lesson kinda. it's just nice ya know :3

    the music is amazing! I loveee it

    This game's music art and all makes you really feel like you're kinda there I guess. It gave me a very special feeling that's hard to describe.

    like at times the music makes you hopeful! and you're like "YEAH I CAN DO THIS" then sometimes it's like it's basically showing and making you feel like it's all over and sad and you can't do it and all. it just good! the art music and all match each other very well! GJ to the creators!

    and also did I mention it's like 15$? IT'S WORTH IT HELLA worth it IMO!

    It's one of my fav games!

    oh and when you finished it check one of the tracks played in reverse :P it has a hidden message! Don't watch it now though, it's spoilerish!    … Expand
  29. jerkface910
    May 23, 2018
    6
    I was enjoying this challenging 2D platformer quite a bit, but the Joy-con controls just aren't up to the task. I've probably died twice as much just due to the controls, which is frustrating. If you have the Pro controller use that, or get it on PS4, but either way this game needs a D-pad!
  30. Winko
    Apr 6, 2018
    8
    Good:
    - Fun and fluid platforming bridled with great level design
    - Great use of simplistic controls - Fantastic soundtrack - Plenty of collectibles to find and challenges to complete after the credits roll - There’s a ton of gameplay variation and each level is filled with multiple new mechanics to explore - Characters are fleshed out nicely and are overall very likable - The game    Good:
    - Fun and fluid platforming bridled with great level design
    - Great use of simplistic controls
    - Fantastic soundtrack
    - Plenty of collectibles to find and challenges to complete after the credits roll
    - There’s a ton of gameplay variation and each level is filled with multiple new mechanics to explore
    - Characters are fleshed out nicely and are overall very likable
    - The game is very transparent with letting the player know that collectibles don’t hold any actual value. Completionists will have a field day but casual players won’t have to tear their hair out over collecting everything to unlock in-game items or progression
    - The final stretch of the game is challenging and reaching the end feels very rewarding
    - Animal Crossing-esque sound effects for dialogue

    Mixed:
    - Minor pacing problems throughout the story
    - One level near the end of the game doesn’t have collectibles, disincentivizing people from exploring and kind of breaking the flow. Regardless, it’s still a very well crafted area.
    - The long nature of some of the levels makes exploring for collectibles very time consuming, but the selectable checkpoints and the collectibles display does help alleviate this problem

    Bad:
    - Trying to move precisely using the Switch’s imprecise analog stick can add some unnecessary challenge and frustration
    XXX    … Expand
Page:

Awards & Rankings

3
#3 Best Switch Game of 2018
6
#6 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2018
9
#9 Most Shared Switch Game of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
92

Universal acclaim - based on 36 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. COGconnected
    Oct 10, 2018
    93
    It tells a surprisingly deep and emotional story featuring a relatable main character and it all blends uniquely together to make one of the finest gaming experience of the year. Celeste might not look it but, just like the mountain Madeline is so determined to conquer, it towers above the rest quite easily.
    Read full review
  2. Video Chums
    Aug 25, 2018
    80
    As most indie-keen gamers already know, Celeste is a phenomenal 2D platformer. Almost everything about it comes together to make a satisfying and challenging game that'll thoroughly put your skills to the test.
    Read full review
  3. DarkZero
    Jun 12, 2018
    100
    My hands actually hurt from gripping the Switch but I couldn’t stop, and when I finally landed on the other side of one of the many gauntlets that Celeste wears like a medal, I felt both relief and curiosity as to what it would throw at me next. It’s a rewarding experience and a game that I’m honoured to issue a perfect score.
    Read full review
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