Episode 78: Celeste
Retro Spectives10 Tammi 2022

Episode 78: Celeste

Celeste is not your average platformer. When it was released in 2018, it took the world by storm, delighting casual players and speedrunners alike. Its levels were divided into screens reminiscent of Super Meat Boy, featuring fast and frequent death with extremely frequent checkpoints. It had a simple, but warming and competently written story, a rarity for the platforming genre. And while it might appear simple at first glance, the mechanics at play here unfold deeper and deeper the more you seek to master what the game has to offer.

We round out our second Xmas special with a detailed breakdown of everything that makes Celeste tick - the music, the story, the gameplay mechanics and much more. Is Celeste really the new high watermark for 2D platformers, overthrowing the old guard like Mario and Sonic? Or have we just been bewitched by something new and unusual?

On this episode, we discuss:

  • Is Celeste a difficult game, and is there a distinction between how punishing a game is versus how difficult it appears? What is the difficulty curve like, from the A sides all the way to Chapter 9?
  • How does Madeline feel to control, and what does Celeste do to finetune this experience? Can a simple moveset of jumping, climbing and dashing inform a deeply satisfying mechanical experience compared to a more complicated moveset?
  • Is it fair to classify Celeste as a precision platformer? In what ways does the main game and the different cassette tapes emphasise precision, technique and puzzle solving?

We answer these questions and many more on the 78th episode of the Retro Spectives Podcast!

Intro Music: KieLoBot - Tanzen K

Outro Music: Rockit Maxx - One point to another

Celeste OST; Farewell OST: Lena Raine

Maddy’s Article on Madeline being canonically trans

Game Maker's Toolkit on why Celeste feels good to play

Twitter thread detailing a lot of hidden game feel design choices

Enjoy the show? Are we right to claim that Celeste is the greatest platformer of all time? Got any games that you’d like to see us review? Come let us know what you think on our community discord server!

Jaksot(140)

E122: The Legend of Zelda

E122: The Legend of Zelda

The Legend of Zelda is perhaps the most iconic video game series of all time.  Boasting 19 mainline entries, and an endless swathe of critical acclaim and awards, it's hard to find someone who hasn’t ...

8 Heinä 20241h 9min

E121: Killer 7

E121: Killer 7

Killer7 is one weird game.  Developed in tandem by Grasshopper Manufacture and Capcom and first released in 2005, its very existence as a game defies description.  Within moments of starting, you’re p...

21 Kesä 20242h 20min

E120: System Shock 2

E120: System Shock 2

System Shock 2 is considered by many to be the finest immersive sim ever made.  Released in 1999 in a coventure by Looking Glass Studios and Irrational Games, it sought to combine the classic 3D dunge...

3 Kesä 20241h 55min

E119: Gran Turismo 4

E119: Gran Turismo 4

Over the years, we’ve played games from pretty much every genre under the sun, but there is one that is notably missing - the racing sim.  We’ve dabbled with arcade racers like Burnout 3, and have pla...

6 Touko 20241h 33min

Episode 118: Hitman Bloodmoney

Episode 118: Hitman Bloodmoney

Hitman: Blood Money, first released in 2006 by Eidos, is considered by many to be the best Hitman game ever made.  After the first few games played around with novel ideas and concepts to mixed succes...

8 Huhti 20241h 39min

Episode 117: Final Fantasy VII

Episode 117: Final Fantasy VII

Final Fantasy VII is a landmark title not only for the JRPG genre, but for all video games.  First released in 1997 and developed by Square, it took the format of the previous games and brought them t...

11 Maalis 20242h 43min

Episode 116: Rain World

Episode 116: Rain World

Rain World is a game that was released to very mixed reviews.  With a whopping 59 on Metacritic, it was panned for its controls, difficulty, tedium and general obtuseness.  But take a gander at the co...

22 Tammi 20242h 14min

Episode 115: Mailbag 5

Episode 115: Mailbag 5

It's that time of year again!  For most of our episodes, our format is identical - we play a game, then discuss and review it.  Once a year, however, we take a break from the format at christmas time ...

1 Tammi 20242h 33min

Suosittua kategoriassa Vapaa-aika

nikotellen
antin-matka
sita
the-harlin-show
ihan-oikeesti
unicast
rss-nikotellen
eturivi
rss-naapurissa
tahtitehdas
mutsiputki
kaikkea-hyvaa
terkuin-jenna
oral-sex
himocast
everypodi
mysteeripodcast
junnut-pelissa
kasper-ja-mikko
20-30-40-podcast