Celeste

Celeste is a platformer. It has been described as having a great soundtrack and story. It is also comfortably among the 100 highest rated games on Steam at this point. So, naturally, I had high expectations going into it. Sadly, I was gravely disappointed. Partially my own fault, as I was swayed by what good I had heard about the game, but I must say I am very surprised about its popularity.

I think my biggest surprise was that Celeste really was just a platformer. It didn't promise much more, but I thus fail to see the appeal. I feel like repeating my thoughts from my I wanna be The Cat review, but Celeste perhaps deserves a bit better. It is also a very difficult platformer with relatively simple controls - moving, jumping, climbing on walls, and a mid-air dash replenished upon hitting the ground. Throw in some level-specific stuff like moving platforms, spring boards, dash refreshers, some others, and of course environmental spike and pit hazards, and that's pretty much the whole game.

The levels aren't that difficult at first, and again, I wouldn't really hold the difficulty against the game too much, especially with an existing easy mode. My main problem is that I fail to find the fun in this game. Maybe plain platformers just aren't my cup of tea, but I will echo my thoughts from before. It's not about figuring out what to do - the path and actions to the goal are generally clear after a short look at the level. Instead, the gameplay comes down to your platforming skill - your capability to press the right buttons in the right order, with timings often accurate to a tenth of a second. If you fail that, you do the same thing again, until you succeed. That is not my idea of fun, it's repetitive and tedious, and it is why I am astonished that there are so many people who want exactly this.
Regarding the other aspects... As you may have guessed, I didn't get very far, but I hear there's a bit more story later on. Don't expect to find any at the beginning though. The soundtrack? I didn't see it as anything special. Perhaps only the art and the environment somewhat caught my eye. To me, the game is quite unremarkable.

Maybe I'll think harder before deciding to try out a pure platformer the next time. Still, as just a platformer and nothing more, I can't fault it for much. The levels and mechanics were well-made, if a little bare in features for my taste. Considering how much others praise it, I can't in good faith tell you that you shouldn't play it if you like platformers. Still, as I personally fail to see the appeal, I can't personally recommend it either.