I played “Celeste” this week. I haven’t finished the whole game, only completed the third part (the hotel).
First, let me talk about what I like. I played with a controller, and controlling the character felt really comfortable. The pixel art style is adorable, and the whole game runs smoothly. The music is also unique (I especially love the music in Chapter Two).
Regarding the storyline: Currently, I still don’t have much understanding of the overall story and the involved characters. The plot feels somewhat fragmented, with mainly some character dialogues at the beginning and end of each chapter. Right now, all I know is that the protagonist is climbing a mountain, but I’m not clear on the details (such as the existence of another dark protagonist and the reason for climbing the mountain).
About the map design: As I progressed to the third chapter, I started to feel a bit frustrated because of the increasing difficulty. Initially, it was like a parkour game, requiring precise controls. However, in the third chapter, dynamic monsters are introduced. If you touch them, you have to restart. There are also some added difficulty traps, like certain ground elements that can only be touched once. Overall, because of the increased number of deaths and respawns, I became somewhat impatient. The levels I dislike the most (currently) are in the third chapter. The final few levels of the third chapter are long, and even if you’re close to the finish line, dying means restarting from the beginning. I feel these long levels disrupt the balance set by the shorter levels and fixed camera angles of the previous chapters, making the gameplay less enjoyable than the first two chapters.
Lastly, let’s talk about the controls: Although the controls are quite responsive, I still find some aspects uncomfortable after playing through these chapters. One issue is the inconsistency in character control methods. I believe the dash and jump actions should be in the same direction. However, by default (when not moving the directional joystick), jumping is upward while dashing is to the left or right. This inconsistency is exacerbated by the tactile differences of the controller, unlike a keyboard where it’s easier to distinguish between up, up-right, and right, it’s more ambiguous with a controller. A significant portion of my deaths is due to misalignment in controller sensation. Often, I intend to dash right, but end up dashing up-right, or I intend to go up-right but end up going right. Another issue is the design where the character bounces off walls upon contact. For example, when climbing a wall (moving to the right), nearing the top, I instinctively jump to the right, but due to this bouncing design, the character is propelled leftward, resulting in a fall. While I understand this design, it doesn’t quite align with my personal habits. Because of my continued discomfort with the controls, there are several levels somewhat torturous to play.
However, overall, this game is still very good and definitely worth playing. I’m currently on the fourth chapter, where the background depicts a sunrise, filling one with hope.
