Celeste platformer guide and review
Also known as: Celeste game, Celeste Mountain
Discover Celeste, the precise indie platformer about climbing a mountain: dashing and climbing, strawberries, Assist Mode and tips for its hardest screens.
- Type
- Video game
- Players
- 1
- First released
- 2018
- Designed by
- Maddy Thorson, Noel Berry
- Developer
- Maddy Makes Games
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Celeste is a precise platform game created by Maddy Thorson and Noel Berry and released in 2018. You play Madeline, a young woman who decides to climb Celeste Mountain. On the way she meets other travellers and faces a part of herself that appears as a dark reflection, representing her anxiety and self-doubt. The game combines very challenging jumps with a warm, honest story about mental health and believing in yourself. Its pixel art and soundtrack are widely loved. Celeste is known for treating difficulty kindly: you fail often, but you restart instantly, and an Assist Mode lets anyone adjust the challenge to reach the ending.
Our verdict
Celeste is one of the best examples of hard but fair design. Every failure teaches something, and finally clearing a tough screen feels wonderful. The story gives the challenge meaning, connecting the climb to Madeline's inner struggle. Assist Mode makes it possible for nearly everyone to see the whole story, which is rare for a game this demanding.
What works
- Precise, responsive controls.
- A meaningful story about anxiety and growth.
- Instant restarts and generous Assist Mode.
What does not
- Later chapters and bonus content are very hard.
- Short main story for players who skip optional content.
How to play Celeste
Each level is made of single screens that you must cross from one exit to the next. Madeline can jump, climb walls and dash in eight directions. The dash is the key ability: you can use it once in the air, and it refills when you land or touch special crystals. Climbing uses stamina, so you cannot hang on walls forever. Every chapter adds a new idea, such as moving blocks, wind, bubbles or platforms that react to dashing. When you fail, you restart at the beginning of the current screen within a second, so practice is quick. Optional strawberries are placed in harder spots for extra challenge, and hidden cassette tapes unlock very hard remix chapters. Assist Mode lets you slow the game speed, gain infinite stamina, add extra dashes or become invincible.
Tips for new players
- Remember that the dash refills when you land; plan routes around safe landing spots.
- Watch your stamina while climbing and jump away from the wall before it runs out.
- Ignore difficult strawberries on your first run and come back later.
- Use Assist Mode without guilt if a chapter stops being fun.
Good for
Celeste: common questions
Is Celeste too hard for beginners?
It is challenging, but restarts are instant and Assist Mode can slow the game or add extra help, so most players can finish the story.
What are the strawberries for in Celeste?
Strawberries are optional collectibles placed in difficult spots. They do not change the main ending but give extra challenge.
What is Celeste about?
It follows Madeline as she climbs a mountain and learns to accept her anxiety, told with warmth and honesty.
Celeste belongs to its owners. Playdonya is not connected to them and does not sell this game; the cover is our own illustration.
