- Celeste is available for free today.
- Epic Games Store is giving platformer away as part of a 12-day giveaway.
- Pick it up before 11 am ET tomorrow.
Today, Celeste is available for free as part of the Epic Games Store 12-day festive giveaway bonanza. The whole affair is designed to lure players in with free games, but who’s complaining? Celeste is one heck of a game to pay zero dollars for regardless of the intent.
Download Celeste for Free Right Now
Celeste asks players to climb the eponymous Celeste mountain as a wayward young girl, Madeline, who’s struggling with her share of inner demons.
The rather cliche metaphor of climbing a mountain both figuratively and literally aside, the game weaves a sweet tale of self-discovery that doesn’t shy away from the bleaker concoctions our good old noggins can conjure up at times.
Allied to a good story and a cast of endearingly oddball characters, Celeste boasts some of the slickest platforming segments in the genre.
The controls are basic; you jump, you climb, and a little later, you learn the invaluable air-dash move that helps a whole lot. Yet, those three simple moves belie a tough challenge.
We’re talking devilishly unforgiving, but fair. You’ll die a lot playing Celeste. But, you’ll get frustrated, learn, and finally succeed, punching the air in sheer glee at having navigated a particularly tortuous passage.
Thankfully, death doesn’t result in a lengthy re-spawn time-sink and is almost instantaneous. It’s a no-nonsense way of giving you an immediate chance to correct your past mistakes.
Developer Matt Makes Games added in a cop-out for those too impatient to learn the game known as Assist Mode. You can slow the game speed, become invincible, or blag yourself infinite air-dashes.
Oh, and the music is pretty lovely too.
