Celeste is a beautiful, heartbreaking platformer that requires skill, patience and wrists that won’t let you down. It’s hard, but that’s really the point – it wants to teach you a lesson about never giving up, even if you don’t believe in yourself.
Celeste Classic 2 is a free PICO-8 platformer in a similar style created by Maddy Thorson, Noel Berry, and Lena Raine – two of the developers and the composer respectively – to celebrate the three-year anniversary of Celeste’s release. And his difficult.
PICO-8, if you were wondering, is a downloadable “fantasy console” that anyone can make games for. All games on PICO-8 are 16 colors and a screen of only 128 x 128 pixels, giving the game library a unique, thick pixel look that goes well with a retro-inspired design.
If you’re actually wondering why the game is called “Celeste Classic 2”, you’ll be happy to know that the original, called “Celeste 1.0”, is also available on the PICO-8 website. The game, which was the forerunner to the full Celeste we know and love, was made in just four days in 2015. A version of Celeste 1.0 can be found in Celeste, in a hidden room in Celestial Resort Side A.
While it has similar albeit reduced mechanics, Celeste Classic 2 has a new grappling hook in place of the air dash, as well as a non-Celeste protagonist Madeline character named Lani. At least 16 new strawberries need to be collected, and people in the comments say it will take anywhere from five to sixty minutes to complete. You can also listen to the beepy-boopy soundtrack at Lena Raine’s band camp!
Did you beat Celeste? What is your highest score for Celeste Classic 2? Let us know in the comments!