Looking for a hidden gem among video games? Celeste is a platforming game created in 2018 by the indie studio Maddy Makes Games, and it’s a strong choice for gamers ages 8 and up. In this game, you play as a mountain climber named Madeline. The mountain is actually a metaphor for overcoming self-doubt and anxiety. As you climb the mountain, you face another aspect of Madeline’s personality that tries to stop you and you must learn to work with her if you want to reach the summit of Mt. Celeste. In this way, the game’s story arc is a metaphor for self-acceptance. 

One of my favorite aspects of this game is the exceptional music. As you play through the game, you listen to an amazing soundtrack composed by Lena Raine. Lena Raine’s music was so good that she got to create a few songs for one of the most popular video games in the world: Minecraft. 

Celeste also boasts quite a lot of content with a full 9 chapters to dash your way through. 8 of the chapters 3 even have harder versions called B and C sides. This game also has lots of collectables like strawberries, hearts, cassette tapes (for unlocking B sides), and golden strawberries (for beating a chapter deathless). As you play, you can work to obtain these with the game’s incredible movement techniques and physics system. 

The physics are buttery smooth throughout the game; Madeline always feels very responsive and precise when going for any jumps. She can jump, climb, and dash in 8 directions once after leaving the ground. The dash can be used once again when landing on the ground, which allows for lots of fancy ways to combine dashes and jumps to make Madeline fly across the screen. You start off with all of your abilities already unlocked but the game introduces new obstacles and mechanics each chapter to keep variation. Celeste’s visual design is very atmospheric and has lots of depth. All of the art is done in a pixelated style that fits in perfectly.

If you’re looking for a game with emotional depth, great music, and striking visuals, I definitely recommend Celeste.