Now and then you come across that one game that just changes your perception of gaming. It makes you realize that video games are absolutely an art form, a medium that can affect the lives of those who play them. One such game is Celeste. Although this game is definitely not an AAA title, you will find your time playing Celeste is time well spent. The intricacy of this game is one that is not lost on us, and we’re sure it won’t be lost on you, either.
Celeste is a platform game that had its release date in late January 2018. The game’s protagonist is Madeline, a young woman battling depression and anxiety. She is on a journey to climb Celeste Mountain but encounters some trouble along the way.
What ensues is a journey of acceptance, forgiveness, and self-discovery. If you’re looking for more information about Celeste, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to find out all your burning questions about Celeste!
How Many Chapters are in Celeste?
There are eleven chapters to play through in Celeste. These are, in order:
- Prologue
- Forsaken City
- Old Site
- Celestial Resort
- Golden Ridge
- Mirror Temple
- Reflection
- The Summit
- Epilogue
- Core
- Farewell
Keep in mind that the prologue and epilogue chapters are purely there to separate them from the rest of the gameplay. You’ll find the other nine chapters have a lot more gameplay to go through.
Additionally, you should note that the last two chapters, Core and Farewell, are completely optional. Their intent is purely to give the player a bit more platforming gameplay, which we’re sure Celeste fans will appreciate.
You should also note that each chapter, except the Prologue and Epilogue, has an A-Side, a B-Side, and a C-Side. The B-Sides and C-Sides essentially act as alternative versions of their respective chapters. You can unlock the B-Sides by finding Cassettes in the A-Side of the chapter. Getting the C-Sides is a bit harder, though, as you will need to beat all the B-Sides to unlock them.
This is true for all C-Sides except the Core chapter, where you need to collect all 8 crystal hearts from the normal versions of the chapters as well as the 7 red crystal hearts from the first 7 B-Sides. It’s a tricky feat, but one that is absolutely doable and even more satisfying.
How Long is Celeste?
Depending on how you play it, Celeste can be a rather long game to finish up. Casual players who are only interested in the main story will find that beating Celeste only takes about 9 hours to do. If you also want to do the side content, you’re looking at a 14-hour playtime for the game.
If, for some reason, you’re a masochist and you want to fully complete the game, it’ll take more than double the time to finish Celeste. You’re in for around 37 hours of pure platforming, story-reading, and raging to see everything you want to see in this game.
However, if you’re more into speedrunning, you’ll be happy to find out that it takes around 25 minutes to an hour to speedrun all of Celeste. Of course, this depends on the type of speed run you want to do.
If you want to do an Any% run, you can rest easy knowing it only takes 25 minutes to do. On the other hand, if you want to 100% speedrun Celeste, you’ll need to dedicate around 1 hour and 40 minutes to do so. Of course, this number doesn’t factor in all the practice you’ll need to be able to maneuver the chapters easily and skillfully.
Is Celeste Fun to Play?
The good news, though, is that Celeste is as fun as it is rage-inducing. The game will have you repeating several parts over and over again just to have even the slightest chance of passing them. If you happen to lose your progress in the particular part you’re having trouble with, it’ll take a lot more to get lucky again.
Well, that’s if you’re playing the game intuitively. Of course, there are always guides, tips, and tricks to get you through the game a lot easier. If you take the time to practice and learn in the early levels, you’ll have a much easier time in the later levels.
When it comes to the story, Celeste is a unique experience. Observant players will notice the entire game is an allegory. Of course, this is never explicitly mentioned in the game.
Some may find this a flaw of the game, but others will agree that it’s a great idea to leave the symbolism open to interpretation. As a result, many people can apply the game’s story and the lessons it teaches to their own situations. This is exactly what we meant when we said video games have become an art form worthy of museums.
Where Can I Buy Celeste For Nintendo Switch?
If you’re looking to add Celeste to your roster of Nintendo Switch games, don’t be afraid. The game is available in both physical and digital form!
The digital form was the original form that players could buy on the Nintendo Switch store. There are also a few resellers that sell the game for cheap not only for Nintendo Switch but also for the following platforms:
- Linux, macOS, and Windows
- PlayStation 4
- Xbox One
- Google Stadia
Keep in mind Google Stadia has shut down, though, so you’re probably better off buying another version of the game.
The physical copy of Celeste for the Nintendo Switch was a special deal for the fifth anniversary of the game. You can still buy your physical copy, though, you’ll just have to find a seller that can ship it to you! If you do decide to treat yourself to the physical copy, you’ll get some new cover art by Amora B. of EXOK Games, a manual, and a 9×12-inch folded poster by artist Ian Wilding. Overall, we think the physical edition is a steal for players who love Celeste!
Is Celeste Free on Switch?
Unfortunately, Celeste is not a free-to-play game on any platform. The Nintendo Switch is no different.
If you want to buy Celeste on the Nintendo Switch store, you’ll have to cash out $19.99 to be able to play. Whether the price is worth the content and story is something you’ll have to decide for yourself.
Loyal fans of Celeste can have the physical copy of the game for $35, which includes everything we’ve previously talked about.
Of course, there are always other websites and resellers that may give you a better deal on the game. Although this is probably hard to achieve with the physical copy of the game, you won’t have any issues finding a better deal for a digital copy of Celeste!
Is Celeste okay for kids?
When it comes to the story, Celeste packs everything in a nice allegory that lets players experience the plot in a way most suitable for them. There are no explicit topics in the game and it’s a great way for kids to learn more about mental health.
However, the game did receive a PEGI 7 warning due to non-realistic-looking violence towards characters. This is mainly due to boss fights where the boss will shoot laser beams at Madeline. For that reason, children under 7 years old probably shouldn’t be playing Celeste.
While there is no real gore or serious violence depictions, some scenes in the game can get a little dark and feature tense music. If you’re looking to get this game for your child, make sure they aren’t too easily spooked.
Why is Celeste So Popular?
It’s hard to list all the reasons why Celeste is such a popular game, but we’ll try.
Let’s start with the part that’s easier to understand for casual players: the story. Without spoiling too much of the plot, we have to say that Celeste has a great way of making the story easy to digest and presentable for everyone. It’s hard to miss telling a meaningful story with themes like mental health issues and an identity crisis. Climbing the mountain itself represents the climb that nearly every person has faced at some point in their lives.
When it comes to gameplay, Celeste is not only popular for how notoriously difficult it is, but also how good it is at being difficult.
What we mean by that is that the game doesn’t push you down and let you fail over and over again for no reason. These failures also tie into the story really well, but we’re really focusing on the gameplay here for the most part. The learning curve for this game is steep, but it encourages you to keep at it every step of the way.
We also can’t go without mentioning the fluidity of the game. Landing the perfect jump can feel so satisfying, and the animations definitely support this feeling. Additionally, the smooth and gradual introduction of new moves and mechanics keeps the game interesting all throughout. It also helps in not overwhelming the player.
Overall, there’s a good reason Celeste has become so popular over the past 5 years, but you’ll have to play it yourself to see if that holds true for you.
