I’ve been playing through a lot of indie games recently on the Switch, one of which has been Celeste. Although I’ve had it for ages I’ve only now just picked it up to play properly.
At heart it’s mechanically just a simple platformer but the unique
design has interesting ways of motivating you to continue. Because you see, the
platforming in Celeste is hard. Like really tricky at times. One hit of a
spike or enemy means you are dead and there are bottomless pits aplenty (you are scaling
up a mountain over the course of the game after all). You will die a lot.
However rather than have you give up due to frustration there are
several design elements in place that subtly encourage the player to continue and acomplishes this
without diminishing the challenge or having to resort to any hand-holding. Firstly there are the quick restarts. Each
chapter/level is split into screens. If you die you simply restart at the
beginning of the screen. This regular checkpointing helps alleviate the loss of
progress upon a death. Of course there are often sections that are slightly
longer than just a single screen but you never feel that too much is asked of you to
repeat any given segment. There is no loading between deaths and restarts are
pretty instantaneous. And getting to the end of a screen is often accompanied
by a micro hit of satisfaction at the achievement. Also every new screen can be
used as a save point if you want to take a break from the game so there is that
convenience too – the game doesn’t penalise you for approaching it in bite-sized
chunks if you prefer.
As you progress through the game, as is often the case in similar
entries to the genre, you learn new skills to progress or are faced with new
environmental elements you need to navigate or make use of in order to reach
the next screen. The game is excellent at introducing these to you gradually
and without a need for any overt tutorials that explain how they work. Bubbles spit
you out the other side. Clouds enable you to jump higher. You need to hit all
the switches to open the path. You need to find the key to open the door. All
introduced in a naturalistic manner. The same goes with progression through a
level. Although there are occasionally branching paths and hidden areas, the
right way to go progress is often just the easiest path forward. Sure you can
attempt to reach those bonus strawberry collectibles littered about the place
for an additional challenge but you are certainly not obliged to.
It also helps that the controls are sharp and responsive, as precise
timing is often required to avoid death. When pulling off jumps, air dashes and
wall slides in quick succession you’ll feel like a goddamn ninja due to the relflexes and dexterity required.
As well as the mechanics, the story also plays its part in helping
you progress. Whilst I am still part way through the game it appears that
protagonist Madeline’s quest to scale the mountain is not just to test her
physical resolve in doing so but also to battle her own mental state, to help
overcome her own perceived personal limitations. I’ve not finished the game yet
but presumably the mountain is a metaphor for her internal struggle, with her
own personal demons at times literally manifesting to give chase or
to goad her into quitting as she is not good enough. In that respect you sympathise
with Madeline as her determination to push on and surmount the challenges ahead
is in tandem with your own.
The game will likely maintain its level of challenge as I push on
but I am willing to do so as the game makes it so easy for you to just keep
trying. A decent challenge but presented in a casual manner - more games should be designed this way.
12th May 2020
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