The best PC games of 2018: Celeste

Celeste is not my sort of game, and it certainly shouldn’t be my 2018 game of the year. The opening moments of this teeth-gnawingly difficult journey made me consider packing it all in at base camp. You see, I’m just not that good at platformers. I didn’t think I could cope with the intimidating level of dexterity and patience I’d need to see the credits roll in the latest from Matt Makes Games. Actually, I knew I couldn’t. You could say Madeline and I had something in common as we embarked on our adventure to reach the peak of Mount Celeste. Soon after the basics of jumping, dashing, and climbing walls I learned that, beneath the protagonist’s vibrant shock of crimson locks, an internecine battle rages. Madeline’s most fearsome foe is not a bottomless chasm or floating, tentacle-infested platform, but herself. Soon you’ll realise that Madeline’s real mission is coming to terms with her crippling anxiety, depression, and self-doubt.