Review Round-up: Celeste is being called a “surprise masterpiece”

If you had never heard of Celeste before today, no one would blame you, as it wasn’t a game that found itself on many radars. That said, it needs to be starting now, as the TowerFall developer’s latest game is gradually making a name for itself in the early goings of 2018.

Celeste is a 2D Action-Platformer where players step into the role of Madeline, whose goal it is to climb Celeste Mountain and overcome her demons in the process. Gameplay is simple and easy to learn, but difficult to master with three main pillars of movement; jumping, air dashing, and climbing. The game constantly throws new ways to use these mechanics at you, while offering a brutal difficulty with quick respawns that not only teach you where you went wrong but encourage you to keep going as none of your time is wasted.

Outlets around the web are quickly discovering this little gem, as the game currently sits at a Metascore of 93, the highest of any game thus far this year. Here’s what they’re saying about Celeste.

IGN – 10

“Celeste doesn’t succeed on charm alone – it also nails the fundamentals of its genre. All of that character is wrapped around one of the most blissfully fluid, responsive, and fun platformers I’ve played since Super Meat Boy. For more than 20 hours of gameplay, Celeste has surprised me with consistently creative and fun platforming challenges and secrets that found unexpected depth from its relatively simple mechanics.”

Nintendo Life – 10/10

“Level design and controls are great throughout, especially when secret areas and more unique tasks are factored in. Combinations and routes may initially look impossible, but every death is a lesson so you can observe and fully exploit the environment with Madeline’s move set.”

Gamespot – 9

“I died 975 times, but none of those casualties felt unfair, and almost every one taught me something new. Even though Celeste doesn’t introduce any mechanics that haven’t been seen in other games, its platforming is wonderfully refined and inventive–often leaving me puzzled as to how I’ll ever succeed, only for the solution to suddenly enter my head–and it’s all contained within a campaign unlike anything else.”

DualShockers – 9.0

“With each completed screen, players experience a variety of emotions getting over that metaphorical mountain of a challenge. You start off angry that you can’t accomplish something, but learn to work hard, get the hang of the controls in that given situation, and complete said screen for an immense payoff.”

Celeste is available now on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.