Celeste, the Game of the Year platformer of 2018, is now officially three years old. And while developer Extremely OK Games and creator Maddy Thorson haven’t revealed what’s coming next, there is something special made just for the occasion. On Monday, Thorson revealedCeleste Classic 2, a sequel toCeleste’s small predecessor originally made in 2015 for the PICO-8 make-believe handheld. Better yet,Celeste Classic 2can be played entirely for free.
Celeste Classic 2is a unique spin on the style of platforming offered in the originalCeleste. There’s still a snowy mountain to climb filled with terrible obstacles to overcome, naturally. But instead of jumps, double jumps, and other straightforward platforming fare,Celeste Classic 2adds a new mechanic that should befamiliar toThe Legend of Zeldafans. It’s a hook shot. InCeleste Classic 2, players can use the grappling hook to pull themselves toward a wall they’d otherwise be unable to reach by jumping.
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As forCeleste Classic 2’s platform the PICO-8, it’s a “fantasy console” designed and created by Lexaloffle Games. It’s intended to emulateretro platformsby imposing harsh artificial limitations. The result is a platform with 128x128 pixels, game size limitations of just 32k, and graphics allowing for 8x8 sprites with 256 colors. Best of all, it runs on PC/Mac/Linux fluidly from a player’s browser.
According to Thorson, the Extremely OK Games team, which includes Noel Berry, Lena Raine, and testing from Kevin Regamey, put togetherCeleste Classic 2in just three days. That’s a day faster than the originalCeleste Classicwas made all the way back in 2015. Still, it’s thanks to that small, challenging PICO-8 game that thefullCelesterelease came in 2018. A newCeleste Classicon the main release’s three-year anniversary is a loving way to celebrate that.
