Madeline

Early Access Post!

Y'know, when I first considered playing Celeste, I never thought it would turn out to be such an important game to me. All I knew about it before playing it was that it was very hard, and the main character was transgender. I got it a few months ago as a gift from my partner, and I started playing it that same night.

When I started playing Celeste, I was not expecting the vibes the game brought at the start, of course there were intense moments, super hard moments, all that jazz, but I was not expecting the game to be so comfortable. Despite being a third person, sprite based game, they did a brilliant job making you feel like you were on a cold, quiet, yet oddly soothing journey up a mountain. All that doesn't even just go for the vibes of the environment, but also the protagonist, I really felt for her.

The struggles she went through were unexpectedly relatable, I've never felt such a personal connection with a video game character before, it's like the game put a hand on my shoulder and said, "I understand you, you are not an anomaly. There's help, there's a light at the end of the tunnel, now let's reach for it, I believe in you." The game never felt condescending, it never felt meandering or lazy or forced, it felt earnest. It's strange, I know, but I didn't want to beat the game for the satisfaction of beating the game, but I wanted to beat it because I cared about and understood Madeline, and I just wanted her to be okay. I can't help but reach a hand out when I see my own struggles in other places, heck, that's why "Dreams Come True" has happened like three times so far...

I don't really know if anyone cares so far, sometimes I wonder if I'm making a mistake being venerable, but sometimes I just really want to wear my heart on my sleeve, and be who I really am. I've still got a long ways to go, I haven't even started climbing my own mountain, if you know what I mean. But Celeste has taught me a very valuable lesson, do not let your fear own you. Do not trap yourself in the painful yet familiar allure of the misery you already know so well, the challenges to find peace and happiness may be unknown, but they will be worth it at the end of the line. You have to be yourself, you have to love yourself, and you have to believe in yourself.

That mountain you may be climbing right now, hold on tightly, take one step at a time and breathe. This journey isn't easy for any of us, the best we can all do is have each other's back, and have our own. For what it's worth, to those struggling with self love or self actualization right now, I understand you just like Celeste understood me, and I've got your back.