Celeste
PRECISION 2D PLATFORMER (Matt Makes Games / EXOK, released 2018 across PC + console) — protagonist MADELINE climbs MOUNTAIN CELESTE (British Columbia, Canada-inspired) confronting mental illness + panic + gender identity themes. FAMOUSLY HARD but FAIR — infinite retries with INSTANT RESPAWNS; frequent CHECKPOINTS. Signature TIGHT AIR-DASH mechanic + WALL-CLIMB + WALL-JUMP. 8 CORE CHAPTERS + 8 unlockable B-SIDE variants + 8 UNLOCKABLE C-SIDE variants + FARWELL DLC (2019 free) reaches max difficulty. Won BEST INDIE + BAFTA GAMES DESIGN 2019.
Quick facts
Category
Video Games
Type
Individual
Players
1–1
Duration
~720 min
Where played
indoor
Country of origin
🇨🇦 Canada
Estimated origin
Designed by MADDY THORSON + NOEL BERRY at MATT MAKES GAMES (renamed to EXOK GAMES 2020); released January 2018 on PC + Nintendo Switch + Xbox One + PS4; won BAFTA Games Design 2019 + The Game Awards Best Independent Game 2018; Chapter 9 FARWELL DLC released September 2019 as free addition; considered modern classic + gold standard for accessible-yet-hard platformer design.
Olympic
No
Popularity
regional
How it works
Objective
REACH SUMMIT of MOUNTAIN CELESTE via 8 chapters; optionally complete B-SIDES, C-SIDES, HEART-COLLECTIBLES, FARWELL DLC.
Rules
Basic rules
MOVEMENT: RUN + JUMP + AIR-DASH (1 dash per air-time; recharges on ground); WALL-CLIMB + WALL-JUMP
Signature air-dash mechanic.
STAMINA (climbing only): climb + hold to wall drains stamina; running out = falls off wall
Signature climb-stamina bar.
INFINITE RESPAWNS: die = instant respawn at last checkpoint (~50-500 deaths per playthrough common); COUNTS ARE VISIBLE + celebrated
Signature no-punishment infinite retry design.
OPTIONAL ASSIST MODE: player can enable INFINITE STAMINA, INVINCIBILITY, SLOW-MOTION, EXTRA DASHES, SKIP CHAPTERS — celebrated as accessibility gold standard
Signature ASSIST MODE accessibility.
8 CHAPTERS: 1 Forsaken City, 2 Old Site, 3 Celestial Resort, 4 Golden Ridge, 5 Mirror Temple, 6 Reflection, 7 The Summit, 8 Core; FARWELL DLC = Chapter 9
Signature 8-chapter progression.
B-SIDES: harder remixes of each chapter (unlocked via collectible tapes) — brutal
Signature B-Side variant chapters.
C-SIDES: expert-level variants (unlocked by 100% B-sides completion)
Signature C-Side expert variants.
NARRATIVE: MADELINE (protagonist) has panic attacks + confronts inner demon 'BADELINE'; strong AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL themes (Thorson is transgender + drew from own experiences)
Signature mental-health + LGBTQ+ narrative.
STRAWBERRIES: 200+ collectible strawberries throughout chapters (optional; challenging bonus routes)
Signature 200+ strawberry collectibles.
Scoring
Progression-based; no formal score. Speedrun times + deathless runs + 100% collectibles tracked in community.
Win condition · Complete Chapter 7 The Summit; 100% completion = all A+B+C sides + Farewell + 202 strawberries + 24 hearts + 1 golden ridge run.
Equipment
PC (STEAM/GOG/EPIC) or NINTENDO SWITCH or XBOX or PLAYSTATION
Signature multiplatform release.
CONTROLLER (recommended) or KEYBOARD
Standard PC or console controller.
TAS TOOLS + LEVEL EDITOR (community-built for advanced players)
Signature community-built modding + TAS tools.
MODS (Everest mod loader + hundreds of community maps)
Signature Everest mod loader.
Terminology
- Madeline
- The protagonist (LGBTQ+ Canadian).
- Badeline
- Madeline's inner-demon reflection — antagonist + companion.
- Dash
- Signature air-dash — 1 use per air-time.
- B-Side
- Harder remix variant of each main chapter.
- Golden Strawberry
- Deathless-completion collectible — hardest challenge.
- Farewell
- Free Chapter 9 DLC (2019) — hardest content.
- Everest
- Community mod loader for custom maps.
Where it is played
Governing bodies
EXOK Games (formerly Matt Makes Games — developer)
Founded 2015 · Vancouver, Canada
Famous names & records
Famous athletes
- Maddy Thorson (CA, designer + creative director)
- Noel Berry (CA, co-designer)
- TGH (Speedrunner — Celeste world records)
- Nikolay 'HydroChl0ric' (Any% Celeste speedrun)
- Extremelypog (100% + Farewell speedruns)
Sources & provenance
- Wikipedia — Celeste— Wikipedia
- Celeste official— Maddy Makes Games