♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ this game is so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ good. I've had it for like 2 weeks and I've already sunk 40 hours in it.

Pros:
+ Incredible gameplay: really smooth movement, creative level design, just incredibly fun to play
+ Surprisingly good story: I really thought this game was just gonna be the "funny mountain game" but the story was beautiful and moving. I don't want to spoil but damn this story was great
+ Insanely good art direction: the pixel art is top notch, each level feels so alive with so many little details, the player character's sprite does such an amazing job at conveying momentum and speed. The hand-drawn portraits do a really good job at wrapping up each chapter and convey so much emotion for a still image
+ The collectibles: in most games, trying to 100% it is tedious as all hell, with other games requiring a certain amount of collectibles to be acquired to even progress. Celeste is the complete opposite. ALL of the collectibles are optional, only displaying a slightly different ending depending on how many strawberries you collect. The strawberries provide such a unique challenge that feels rewarding to complete even though the berries mean nothing. The Crystal Hearts are also optional but to a lesser extent. The last two levels (after finishing the main story) are locked behind walls that can only be unlocked by a certain amount of crystal hearts. Some very interesting story beats are hidden behind these so i would recommend trying to play.
+ THE SOUNDTRACK: THIS GAME HAS BANGERS. The Summit track might be the best piece of VG music I've heard this decade. Lena Raine outdid herself for this soundtrack. That's all i can say about it, buy the soundtrack too.

Cons:
- Overall game length: one drawback to all the strawberries being optional to finishing the game is that it severely shortens the game's length. For my playthrough, it took about 10 hours with 105/175 strawberries collected. My friends playthrough, on the other hand, took a little over 7 hours with only 15/175. The fact that the strawberries are so much of this game could turn a few people off who really don't want to go out of their way to collect all the collectibles.
- Sometimes it's confusing what is progress and what is a side room: Typically strawberries are collected in side rooms deterring from the main path. Occasionally, I got confused and made irreversible progression while searching for more strawberries. This could possibly only be a me problem and that'd be fine.
- The game is a little harder that your average platformer: I'd put the game a bit below Super Meat Boy tier in difficulty. The game has a tendency to turn people off with it's challenge but a fair bit of the more difficult portions are saved for the B-, C-, and A-Sides.

Overall, this game is a mastahpiece. Everything about this game culminates to make one the the best gaming experiences I've had in a while

9.5/10

Holy shit this game is so fucking good. I've had it for like 2 weeks and I've already sunk 40 hours in it. Pros: + Incredible gameplay: really smooth movement, creative level design, just incredibly fun to play + Surprisingly good story: I really thought this game was just gonna be the "funny mountain game" but the story was beautiful and moving. I don't want to spoil but damn this story was great + Insanely good art direction: the pixel art is top notch, each level feels so alive with so many little details, the player character's sprite does such an amazing job at conveying momentum and speed. The hand-drawn portraits do a really good job at wrapping up each chapter and convey so much emotion for a still image + The collectibles: in most games, trying to 100% it is tedious as all hell, with other games requiring a certain amount of collectibles to be acquired to even progress. Celeste is the complete opposite. ALL of the collectibles are optional, only displaying a slightly different ending depending on how many strawberries you collect. The strawberries provide such a unique challenge that feels rewarding to complete even though the berries mean nothing. The Crystal Hearts are also optional but to a lesser extent. The last two levels (after finishing the main story) are locked behind walls that can only be unlocked by a certain amount of crystal hearts. Some very interesting story beats are hidden behind these so i would recommend trying to play. + THE SOUNDTRACK: THIS GAME HAS BANGERS. The Summit track might be the best piece of VG music I've heard this decade. Lena Raine outdid herself for this soundtrack. That's all i can say about it, buy the soundtrack too. Cons: - Overall game length: one drawback to all the strawberries being optional to finishing the game is that it severely shortens the game's length. For my playthrough, it took about 10 hours with 105/175 strawberries collected. My friends playthrough, on the other hand, took a little over 7 hours with only 15/175. The fact that the strawberries are so much of this game could turn a few people off who really don't want to go out of their way to collect all the collectibles. - Sometimes it's confusing what is progress and what is a side room: Typically strawberries are collected in side rooms deterring from the main path. Occasionally, I got confused and made irreversible progression while searching for more strawberries. This could possibly only be a me problem and that'd be fine. - The game is a little harder that your average platformer: I'd put the game a bit below Super Meat Boy tier in difficulty. The game has a tendency to turn people off with it's challenge but a fair bit of the more difficult portions are saved for the B-, C-, and A-Sides. Overall, this game is a mastahpiece. Everything about this game culminates to make one the the best gaming experiences I've had in a while 9.5/10