Celeste (2018)

I usually don't like insanely hard games, I enjoy reasonably difficult platformers, but if I'm going to memorize a series of precision movements, I'd usually rather just practice guitar (just a personal thing). But Celeste does so much so well and the fact that each screen is more or less self-contained it makes it very gratifying and digestible.

176 Berries and 8 C-Sides down. Honestly beating level 7s B-side was in the top 10 proudest of myself moments for video games. Very hard, very satisfying.

Update: beating 7Cs last screen is top 1 or 2 proudest moments for video games. Had to break it down to one bit of progress a day and just take my time. I legit thought it was impossible but finally managed it and I was so ecstatic.

Currently working on Farewell. Holy crap this is painful

Final Update: Got the moonberry! This is my video game crowning achievement! I'm beyond ecstatic. 9830 deaths on level 9, so if you think you're bad, know that I'm probably worse but finally made it through!

It is difficult to deny that my experience with Celeste fell short of the expectations I had because of the excellent reputation of the game. On the other hand, I can understand where the appeal is. I don't know if it was just a case of being the right game at the wrong time, or if, in fact, it's not a game for me.

The point where Celeste undeniably got me was in the narrative elements. I really liked the resources they used to present Madeline and her conflicts. In addition, the game is beautiful and the soundtrack is extremely pleasant.

With the gameplay, however, I had some issues. Don't get me wrong, the controls are tight and well planned, and I always give points for customizable key bindings, but the design of some stages bothered me a lot and made the game a little frustrating at times. Adding this to the fact that Celeste is a difficult game, there were many times when I lost my temper and chose to end a session earlier than usual. As I said, it may just be a matter of not being in the right mood for this, because despite the problems in some levels, several others impressed me, and in general I have enormous respect for the game and its developers.

It won't appear among my favorites, but it's an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a challenging platformer with a very emotional narrative.