Celeste is a 2018 platform video game developed and published by indie studio Maddy Makes Games. The player controls the player character Madeline, a young woman with anxiety and depression, who endeavors to climb Celeste Mountain, a fictional version of Mount Celeste. During her climb, she encounters several characters, including a personification of her self-doubt nicknamed "Badeline", who attempts to stop her from reaching the mountain's summit.
Development of Celeste began in August 2015, when game developers Maddy Thorson and Noel Berry created a version of Celeste for the PICO-8 during the course of a weekend; Thorson, who served as producer, and Berry, who served as the lead programmer, wanted to expand the PICO-8 version into a full game. Inspired in part by Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) and Thorson's own TowerFall (2013), the gameplay was designed to be minimal and to mirror the feeling of bouldering. Celeste was designed to be accessible, featuring game mechanics and an "Assist Mode" that make the game more forgiving and less challenging. To create a more "introspective" game, the developers added themes of self-forgiveness into the narrative, which grew to become intertwined with the gameplay. Celestes soundtrack was composed by Lena Raine.
Celeste released on January 25, 2018, for Linux, macOS, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows, releasing for Xbox One the following day. It was also released for Google Stadia in July 2020. Upon release, the game received widespread acclaim from critics. Reviewers praised the interplay of its narrative and gameplay, and lauded its player movement and controls. Critics also appreciated its approach to difficulty and accessibility, and its depictions of depression and anxiety. Celestes music and its pixel art style was also praised.
Since its release, Celeste has been considered by some video game journalists to be among the greatest video games of all time, and it has garnered a dedicated fandom and active speedrunning and modding communities. On September 9, 2019, a free downloadable content (DLC) expansion named Farewell was released, introducing a new chapter to the game. The game's developers have rejected the possibility of a sequel to Celeste, though they have created small-scale spin-offs: Celeste 2: Lani's Trek, a sequel to the original PICO-8 version, was released for Celestes third anniversary in 2021; Celeste 64: Fragments of the Mountain, a short sequel with three-dimensional gameplay, was released for its sixth anniversary in 2024.
Gameplay
Celeste is a two-dimensional platforming game. The player controls Madeline, who has the ability to run, jump, climb walls for a limited time, wall jump, and dash in mid-air in one of eight directions. Certain objects grant Madeline additional abilities. Green gems refill her dash ability without the need to land on the ground. Other objects include "dream blocks" that transport her from one side to another when dashed into, moving blocks that can transfer their momentum to Madeline when jumped off, bubbles that move her when touched, and platforms that move after she dashes. The difficulty can be lowered through the use of an "Assist Mode", a setting that provides accessibility options including a lowered game speed, unlimited use of the dash ability, or the option to grant Madeline invincibility.
The base game consists of eight chapters and a free DLC that are all divided into multiple single-screen challenges, with checkpoints in between screens. Chapters contain branching paths that lead to optional challenges and hidden collectibles, including strawberries, cassette tapes, and crystal hearts that unlock gates in levels. Some chapters contain a boss character. Each of the eight chapters has a "B-side" level that reuses mechanics from the main level to create a more difficult experience. B-side levels can be unlocked by locating the hidden cassette tape in its corresponding level. After completing all eight B-sides, "C-side" levels are unlocked that are shorter in length but with increased difficulty. The Farewell expansion adds a ninth chapter with no B-side or C-side and no ordinary strawberries, and adds grabbable jellyfish that function as parachutes, exploding pufferfish that can launch Madeline, and "double-dash" gems that give Madeline two dashes when collected.
Plot Celeste takes place on a fictional version of Mount Celeste containing several areas. It is seemingly haunted, housing many strange occurrences. The protagonist, a young woman named Madeline, decides to climb the mountain to challenge her anxiety, stubbornly persisting until she reaches its summit. Upon arriving at the mountain's base, she meets an elderly woman called Granny, who warns her against climbing it. After ignoring her advice, Madeline encounters an abandoned city wherein she meets Theo, a social media-obsessed traveler from Seattle. In the next area, Madeline experiences a nightmare in which she encounters a part of herself in the mirror, a personification of her anxiety and depression called "Badeline", who chases her out of the area. Badeline doubts Madeline's ability to successfully reach the summit, and says she will stop Madeline from continuing to save her from climbing unprepared, describing herself as Madeline's "pragmatic part".
Madeline then enters the Celestial Resort, an abandoned hotel, and meets Oshiro. Oshiro, a ghost who owns the abandoned resort, struggles to leave his past behind and lives in denial. He tries to convince Madeline to stay and improve the resort's poor condition. After she agrees, Badeline appears and taunts Oshiro, saying that Madeline only helped him to fuel her own ego. Believing Badeline, he becomes enraged and chases Madeline out of the resort. After navigating a windy ridge, Madeline reaches Theo at a gondola lift. Badeline halts the gondola's motion, causing Madeline to have a panic attack; Theo helps to calm her down. The two arrive at an ancient temple, where Theo gets trapped inside a crystal until Madeline frees him. After speaking to Theo, Madeline gains the confidence to confront Badeline and says she wants to abandon her. In retaliation, Badeline throws her down the mountain. Madeline then finds Granny, who suggests that she seek resolution instead of abandonment. Madeline then searches for Badeline, and after a chase, Madeline apologizes to her. The two reconcile and vow to climb together. After reaching the summit, they enjoy a strawberry pie with Granny, Theo, and Oshiro.
About a year later, Madeline meets with Granny to explore the mountain's core. The two go on to develop a connection to each other before Granny dies. Mourning her death, Madeline visits her grave. Madeline sees a mysterious bird at Granny's grave. Believing the bird to be her reincarnation, she decides to pursue it through space in hopes of locating Granny. Badeline is against this idea and abandons Madeline, forcing her to chase the bird alone. Badeline later returns, attempting to warn Madeline that she is dreaming and that she needs to wake up. Despite initially refusing, Madeline later concedes and instead decides to free the bird. Madeline meets Granny in a cloud-filled area and apologizes for not attending her funeral. After waking up, Madeline is seen speaking to Theo on a video call, who reveals that Granny was friends with his grandfather.
Development Conception
The original version of Celeste was developed by Maddy Thorson and Noel Berry in August 2015 for the PICO-8, a fantasy video game console, in three days. Due in part to time limitations, Thorson and Berry wanted core gameplay to be minimal with additional mechanics to add complexity, for which they felt the idea of a character struggling to climb a mountain was fitting. The initial prototype was titled "Everest". They decided that the project would be a single-player adventure from its initial conception, with lessons from the development of Thorson's previous game, TowerFall (2013), carried over into the game. After the development of the PICO-8 version, retroactively titled Celeste Classic, the team wanted to expand the game with additional development time and fewer restrictions. Celeste Classic was added to Celeste as a hidden minigame. Celeste was produced by Thorson, and Berry served as the lead programmer. The development team underwent crunch during the final months of development.
Gameplay and accessibility
Thorson and Berry cited multiple games as influencing Celeste's gameplay, including Metroid (1986), Donkey Kong Country 2 (1995), and Kero Blaster (2014). Thorson said Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988) was the game that most inspired Celeste, particularly for its approach to problem-solving. Shacknews and Kill Screen said Celeste's level design was reminiscent of levels created by Thorson in Super Mario Maker (2015).
Thorson wanted Madeline's moveset to be minimal while emulating the feeling of bouldering, which inspired Madeline's limited stamina when climbing walls; the stamina system was further shaped by the importance of vertical space given by the mountain-climbing theme. Due to the gameplay requiring more precise control, the developers chose not to use a pre-existing physics engine so they could predetermine outcomes for certain situations. The precise gameplay also influenced the art style, as the team felt that pixel art could more clearly convey information to the player, in addition to the team's familiarity with the style. The team frequently adjusted Madeline's attributes and redesigned levels.
During the design phase, the team wanted Celeste to feel difficult yet fair to the player, and modified or removed levels or mechanics they deemed unfairly difficult. The team prioritized matching the player's intent over requiring near-perfect execution, though challenges later in the game require more precision. Several mechanics contribute to this, including "coyote time", which allows players to jump for a small moment after leaving the ground, named after Looney Tunes character Wile E. Coyote's ability to become suspended in midair and only fall once made aware of the situation. Additional mechanics include the ability for a jump to be input slightly before touching the ground, a mechanic that simulates rounded corners to prevent the player from colliding with a corner, and one that allows players to jump off a wall while slightly in front of it rather than requiring direct contact. The mechanics were designed to allow Celeste to be either hardcore or forgiving, depending on the player's preference. The game was further designed to make more difficult challenges have a more clear solution.
Systems like strawberries, B-sides, and Assist Mode were designed to allow the player to customize the difficulty of Celeste. Thorson said that the ability of Assist Mode to make the game less challenging served as a counterbalance to the optional content such as strawberries, which make it more challenging. The implementation of an accessibility mode was decided on after observing public discourse surrounding Cuphead (2017) that originated after many players felt that the game was too difficult or unforgiving. This mode was initially titled "Cheat Mode", but Thorson felt that the name was too judgmental and decided on "Assist Mode" as an alternative. She said the mode was added late into development, and Berry added that it took only "a couple of days' work" to develop, though balancing the game as a whole required extensive playtesting.
Story and themes