Creator Letter

Dare I Say Celeste is a Perfect Game? I Think So.

I was emailing a friend a few weeks ago when Celeste got brought up in our conversation. He praised the game heavily and at the end of his paragraph commented that it deserved every award it received. I replied in agreement and declared, “Dare I say Celeste is a perfect game? I think so.”

My first exposure to Celeste was a video upload from a Games Done Quick event. The game was being run by TASBot (tool assisted speedrun) which inputs perfect movement to complete a game as fast as possible. I had heard a lot of praise for the game and so decided to watch a run to see what it was all about. What I experienced was a bunch of grown men laughing in awe as the TAS sped through the crazy challenging chapters of the game with effortless precision. It was wonderful.

When I finally got my hands on the game, I can attest to being a little intimidated. I’d seen and heard enough of the game to know it was very difficult. After popping it into my Switch, I was able to experience the difficulty first hand. Yep, it was as hard as people had said. I died quite a bit. At one point in Chapter 2, I turned on Assist Mode due to how much I was struggling. I used Assist Mode on and off for the next few chapters, stopping at some point around Chapter 5 or 6.

A co-worker told me after hearing my number of deaths, don’t worry about that. Once you get to the final chapter, you will be a pro. I was skeptical, but awaited the moment when this feeling would come over me. It happened before I even realized it. Suddenly, I was able to tackle Celeste’s challenges competently because the game had subtly taught me how to do so. I was in the midst of playing a game that I now consider a favorite. It is hard not to look back on that time without smiling.

There is so much to love about Celeste. From the pixelated art style, to the well developed and quirky characters, to the relatable story, to the fantastic music, to the cute little noises the characters make when their text bubbles appear, to...well, this could go on for a while. I love Celeste.

But what sets Celeste apart from so many games is how it manages to weave everything together in a central theme. I’ve never seen a game work so harmoniously, each component in service to one core idea. It deserves every bit of praise it receives. Yes, I dare say it. Celeste is a perfect game.

Danielle Karthauser, Creator & Publisher