celeste is hard. very hard. games don’t typically challenge me to the extent that celeste did (granted, i do generally avoid anything mind-crushing).

the difference between celeste and something like cuphead, outside of the obvious genre difference, is simple; they have different goals from the outset. cuphead is a game that happens to be difficult. was it designed to challenge you? absolutely. but cuphead could be cuphead without the difficulty. it’s not essential to the fabric of the game. cuphead is cuphead for other reasons, not just the difficulty.

celeste, on the other hand, couldn’t exist in the same form without the inherent challenge. it’s not just difficult to be difficult, it’s difficult to prove a point. it’s difficult because the people who need celeste also need something difficult to overcome. celeste’s entire game design is formed around this sense of difficulty.

celeste isn’t meant to be frustrating, though. now, the problem for many developers arises with this question: how do we make a game difficult without frustrating most players? celeste does this in a few ways - tight & responsive controls, superb level design, a quick restart time, and a beautifully fleshed out assist mode come to mind.

the art and music also help out immensely. lena raine is able to form these beautiful soundscapes that can be both calming and nerve-wracking, creating one of the best soundtracks in recent memory. the wonderful pixel art pops with vibrant colors and deep, complex backgrounds.

when celeste steps up its difficulty, it eases into it. there’s no sudden jumps into a nightmarishly difficult room, or sequences that you feel unprepared for. the game aptly teaches the player the mechanics, and then slowly but surely expands on those same mechanics as the level progresses.

so i’ve explained the how; what about the why? why is celeste so inherently tied to difficulty? well, that’s where the story comes in.

celeste is the story of madeline. madeline is barely holding it together. madeline comes to celeste mountain to finally commit to and achieve something. sound familiar?

this sounds like every. single. goal. i try to set for myself. this isn’t just a me thing, either. this should sound familiar to anyone who’s dealt with depression.

celeste’s depiction of depression is one of the most accurate ones around. it’s got everything; the feeling dragging everyone close to you down, the self-doubt that plagues every move you make, the nightmares of family members turning on you, the lack of motivation to live, let alone do anything important. it has it all.

beating a game, no matter how unimportant, is an accomplishment. beating a difficult game feels even better. beating a difficult game when you barely have the motivation to eat dinner feels like you just won the world cup. the reason celeste needs to be difficult is because the people who play celeste need to overcome something. the people that need celeste need to feel like they’ve accomplished something, like they finished a goal, like they got something done. i sure as hell did.

please play celeste. that plea is doubled if you’re struggling with your mental health. enjoy it, struggle through it, and come out the other side with something under your belt.