Celeste (Switch)

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eneuman96
Posts: 326
Joined: April 13th, 2015, 11:16 pm

Celeste (Switch)

Postby eneuman96 » February 11th, 2018, 8:53 pm

This is hands-down one of the best platformers I've ever played, possibly even better than Super Mario Odyssey.

The gameplay is brutally challenging and bears a superficial resemblance to Super Meat Boy while the main gimmick of air-dashing is more reminiscent of Mega Man X. In spite of these comparisons, words cannot do justice how insanely clever most of the stage design (I'll elaborate on why I say "most" later) is. Every level, known as a "chapter" due to the game having a surprisingly engaging plot that turns out to be a metaphor for struggling with mental health (it doesn't sound like it would mesh well with the gameplay, but somehow it does), is absolutely jam-packed with inventive mechanics.

In the main levels, you can collect strawberries by navigating even more challenging stage segments they are tucked away in. Notably, the strawberry doesn't register as "collected" until you touch the ground, which makes it even more of a challenge. Additionally, hidden behind Mega Man-esque disappearing block challenges are cassette tapes that unlock a set of even more brutally challenging "B-side" levels.

As amazing as this game is, I regret to mention that the quality of the stage design drops dramatically in the final B-side level, where it introduces a new mechanic ridiculously late in the game that is not only completely unintuitive compared to everything else about the game's controls, but doesn't give you any time to practice it before throwing you to the wolves and making you use it to navigate a series of especially brutal challenges where you definitely won't have any idea what the hell you're doing. It's particularly disappointing because the rest of the game up to this point is absolutely top-notch and then out of nowhere it goes and seemingly sabotages itself with this new mechanic.

If one can ignore that particular section of the game, this truly deserves to be considered one of the all-time great indie titles. It's not a Switch exclusive, but somehow the portable nature of the system lends itself well to its brand of platforming and the intimate nature of the story. At 20 bucks, I can safely say that, sans the final level, it offers far more satisfying gameplay than the majority of modern AAA titles.

BanjoPickles
Posts: 403
Joined: June 18th, 2015, 3:05 pm

Re: Celeste (Switch)

Postby BanjoPickles » February 12th, 2018, 11:49 pm

Having just beaten the game on Switch, my opinion essentially echoes yours. It’s a great, engrossing game with a really good story, likeable characters, and a positive message.

My only real complaints center around the controls. It probably has more to do with the joycons, but I found that, far too often, I would dash in one direction when I pressed in a different direction.

All in all, though, this is the sort of game that I love seeing on Switch!

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Retro STrife
Posts: 2530
Joined: August 3rd, 2015, 7:40 pm

Re: Celeste (Switch)

Postby Retro STrife » February 13th, 2018, 12:44 pm

Thanks for the heads up on this. Probably would have flown under my radar, but sounds like I'll have to give this one a shot soon. Don't have a Switch, but it is on other systems, so I'll probably try the PS4 version.

eneuman96
Posts: 326
Joined: April 13th, 2015, 11:16 pm

Re: Celeste (Switch)

Postby eneuman96 » February 13th, 2018, 1:22 pm

BanjoPickles wrote:My only real complaints center around the controls. It probably has more to do with the joycons, but I found that, far too often, I would dash in one direction when I pressed in a different direction.


I always use the D-pad for platformers like this for precisely this reason and didn't have any issues with the one on the left Joy-Con, though I did usually switch to the stick when using the feather because those segments practically demand that you use analog controls.


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