Celeste

johnny_ultimate

This one deserves its own thread.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqBj2IGg6Uw

Celeste is the rare game that won me over near instantly. As soon as you start jumping around, there's a fluidity and magic to the platforming that puts it immediately into the upper tier of a well-worn genre. With only a basic toolset - you can move, jump, do a single mid-air dash, and briefly climb or hang onto walls - the game instead introduces some ingenious twists into the environment itself. It is absolutely challenging, but also fair, and admirably comes with a suite of adjustable options for anyone who's finding a room too challenging. It's designed by Matt Thorson, who made the superb Towerfall - whereas that game used its satisfying moveset for twitchy multiplayer battles, this channels it for twitchy singleplayer platforming to wonderful effect.

The platforming and design alone would be enough to put this up there with the likes of Super Meat Boy, Rayman Origins and other top-tier 2D platformers of the last decade. But the team has also done a great job in pushing it further. The game is unusually atmospheric - the scale, danger and isolation (although not entirely isolated) of the massive mountain you're climbing memorably captured through the evocative art, sound and music. There's also a surprisingly effective story - I'm still early in so not sure where it goes, but there's definitely an overtly allegorical coming-of-age story that pops in quite elegantly in the moments when you get a break from the death-defying leaps, and even manifests itself through the gameplay itself.

It's available on basically every major platform, so in short: this is a ****ing great game.

MilesMorales1

I want it on Switch but I've got so much stuff I haven't finished yet, just can't buy another game for the pile.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHLizp8fARo

Stone Deaf 4evr

Picked this up myself this evening as a bit of a respite from the myriad shooters I've been playing of late. Enjoying it so far, seems to be some branching paths too, and it's not afraid to start ramping up the difficulty fairly lively either.

Mr E

Ridiculously good game.

johnny_ultimate

Game just gets better as it goes along too. The third level was great, but the end stretch of the fourth was an inspired blending of mood, play and characterisation. Near the end of the fifth now and it’s maintained the quality.

Those blasted strawberries are endlessly taunting me! Also managed to get my first blue heart: had seen one locked in a distant room in an earlier level, and the one I got in the fifth indeed required a secret passage or two to track down

Zero-Cool

Is it kinda like Guacamelee without the combat and power ups?

For those interested, looks like there is a prequel type Instagram page showing posts from one of the characters.

https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/26/16933986/celeste-game-artwork-instagram

johnny_ultimate

Not really similar to Guacamelee, this week’s other cool 2d platformer Iconoclasts is more along those lines (although as good as that game is, Celeste has sort of ruined it for me :pac:). This is more Super Meat Boy / VVVVVV style platforming challenges but IMO with a certain extra layer of artistry that pushes it those few steps beyond being another *merely* (!) brilliantly designed and punishingly hard platformer.

Also just read there are

C-sides

:eek:

Nice moment when the drums kick in as you

smash the mirror

. Brings me back to Prince of Persia. I love the movement of the glowing blocks. Really speeds the game up. Reminds me of rocket knight.

Mr E

Golden Ridge is really pushing my buttons. I've rage quit twice this afternoon. Fecking wind. Fair play to anyone who gets all strawberries - some are simply beyond my skill level. Anyone who can finish that level without dying gets massive respect.

I'm really looking forward to seeing speed runs of this game.

johnny_ultimate

Phew, made it to the end... well, of the core stuff, all the optional harder stuff left. Got around two-thirds of the strawberries (picked up the vast majority of the ones I stumbled across, a few particularly devious ones excepted) and only died 2200-odd times :pac: One of my favourite new games in a while: masterfully designed and artfully crafted throughout. Always fair, and the difficulty curve is perfectly judged.

While the game is perfect for Switch, I do confess to missing the old analogue stick ridges from the GC, Wii etc... Far too many of my deaths were the result of a up-left dash when just an up would have done :pac:

Stone Deaf 4evr

On golden ridge myself at the moment, death count has just gone north of 500!, absolutely loving it, it's exactly what I needed to give me a break from pubg and rainbow 6.

johnny_ultimate

Completed the first B-side, and boy was that a challenge! Maybe not as bad as I expected, but still demands extreme precision even beyond what’s needed in the final stretch of the main game. Yet, for all the dozens of deaths, I actually don’t find the game very frustrating at all (a handful of particularly narrow gaps aside). There’s almost a puzzle-like philosophy to some of the more demanding rooms: while there’s definitely lots of intense twitch platforming, figuring out the solution to a deviously designed mechanism is just as necessary as the execution.

Not mad about the feather mechanic. Its the least reliable and most "twitchy" mechanic introduced so far.

Stone Deaf 4evr

Dakota Full Urinal wrote: »

Not mad about the feather mechanic. Its the least reliable and most "twitchy" mechanic introduced so far.

I haevnt come across that one yet, I cant say I'm a fan of the bubbles that spit you out and recharge your dash, I make directional errors a lot with them.

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

I haevnt come across that one yet, I cant say I'm a fan of the bubbles that spit you out and recharge your dash, I make directional errors a lot with them.

I found using a d-pad is far better in this game if you have one. Unfortunately the feather seems better suited to a stick so its a bit wonky switching between.

sweetie

Just finished the main, wow. Was tempted to use assist at least twice but eventually go there. Only 46 hearts though and 3.5k deaths!! Nice little encouragement at the end to replay for the other hearts.

Stone Deaf 4evr

I reckon Im about 75% of the way through 'reflections'.

Agreed that the feather mechanic is slightly infuriating, there just seems to be a lot of that pink spiky stuff about, and the orb moves quite fast and twitchy, so it's very easy to snag a point.

Theres still a great sense of satisfaction from clearing a tough section, and you'll often blast through the next 4 or 5 bits without much hassle.

How many chapters are there in total? I assume I'm starting to draw near the end now, I haven't looked at anything online as I dont want any story beats spoiled.

Mr E

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

How many chapters are there in total? I assume I'm starting to draw near the end now, I haven't looked at anything online as I dont want any story beats spoiled.

Chapter Count (no story spoilers):

8 in main story. 8 B-Sides to complete after you've done those, and there is post-game content that is gated (as far as I know, I haven't got there yet)....

SeantheMan

This is gonna be awesome to see in Games Done Quick...100% heart runs.

Stone Deaf 4evr

On my way to the summit.... tough but awesome.

johnny_ultimate

The summit is a long old haul, although I really like how they handle the final stretch with the

countdown checkpoints - definitely gives you that sense of moving towards the goal... well, until they spring another goal on you after the credits have rolled

Haven’t had much chance to play over the last week, but got through the second B-Side and the

mountain core level

. Definitely some of the most precise yet immensely satisfying platforming I’ve ever played through. Managing to pull off some of the obstacle courses they ask of you is a real ‘breathe a sigh of relief’ sort of achievement.

Just watched a bit of a speedrun on youtube... I was completely unaware of the dash-then-jump move so you go flying through the air

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyBT3OdcqRM

johnny_ultimate

Yeah it’s a little tricky but very effective. There’s actually a tutorial for it at the start of the B-side of the second level. Mostly because you wouldn’t get past the first few screens without it :pac:

SeantheMan

So I'd say I'm near the end.
I was loving this game, really enjoying it....but then everything since and after that feather mechanic is just boring and seems so ill thought out compared to the rest.
Switch controls don't feel as good or as precise as a PS4 or Xbox would.

For the longest time I used to think Sephiroth was one of the longest drawn out battles in gaming....until this

the bit where you're fighting your shadow in chapter 6 or 7 ...chasing her across endless screens

...honestly. It got worse and worse to the point I turned the game off...20% in frustration....80% because I was bored to hell of it by then....it goes on and on and on and on...and you get to a point where you think it's over....but then it starts again...and oh...if it wasn't bad enough so far...here....add your feather friend and the sonic casino pinball mechanic to make it even less fun.

Game has instantly gone from a 8-9/10 to a 6-7/10 for me because of this.

Moist Bread

SeantheMan wrote: »

So I'd say I'm near the end.
I was loving this game, really enjoying it....but then everything since and after that feather mechanic is just boring and seems so ill thought out compared to the rest.
Switch controls don't feel as good or as precise as a PS4 or Xbox would.

For the longest time I used to think Sephiroth was one of the longest drawn out battles in gaming....until this...honestly. It got worse and worse to the point I turned the game off...20% in frustration....80% because I was bored to hell of it by then....it goes on and on and on and on...and you get to a point where you think it's over....but then it starts again...and oh...if it wasn't bad enough so far...here....add your feather friend and the sonic casino pinball mechanic to make it even less fun.

Game has instantly gone from a 8-9/10 to a 6-7/10 for me because of this.

I was going to get this but now it can **** off. I will tell anyone I know not to buy it too. That's a ****ing disgrace. I am furious.

SeantheMan

Moist Bread wrote: »

I was going to get this but now it can **** off. I will tell anyone I know not to buy it too. That's a ****ing disgrace. I am furious.

Don't go just by my opinion man. I am 1 guy.
You should check more sources than 1 randomer's opinion.
Read some reviews etc, watch some vids. Others here might have a completely different view and you might love it too.

I will go back to it tomorrow and complete it, and it's not like I haven't given this game it's fair shake. Between levels and impossible strawberries I've died over 1300 times.....so it's not like I'm not trying.

Mr E

Moist Bread wrote: »

I was going to get this but now it can **** off. I will tell anyone I know not to buy it too. That's a ****ing disgrace. I am furious.

Overreact much?

It's a bloody fantastic game.

sweetie

It's great, loved it

Stone Deaf 4evr

Got to the top on saturday, was tough going in parts towards the end, very satisfying to make it to the end though.

Started the 8th chapter but had to stop almost immediately after the first cut scene. Must battle on tonight. Great game overall, well worth a look if you have any interest at all in platforming.

I will say that some of the sections towards the end were a little frustrating as they were trial and error, in that you'd get so far and then die, and have to start back a few screens with stuff I'd only just gotten through by the skin of my teeth.

SeantheMan

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

Got to the top on saturday, was tough going in parts towards the end, very satisfying to make it to the end though.

Started the 8th chapter but had to stop almost immediately after the first cut scene. Must battle on tonight. Great game overall, well worth a look if you have any interest at all in platforming.

I will say that some of the sections towards the end were a little frustrating as they were trial and error, in that you'd get so far and then die, and have to start back a few screens with stuff I'd only just gotten through by the skin of my teeth.

Couldn't get used to the switch standard controller. I've fat fingers for those small sticks as it is, so didn't help in feather sections. Totalled over 2000 deaths, something like 45 hearts....after Chapter 5 I gave up trying for hearts tbh.

Chap 8 is locked...I assume a certain amount of hearts are required.