I hate to get preachy, but this game came to me at a very dark time of my life. My children were just removed from my care, and ironically I would drift away into this game for my own sanity. I fought hard to get them back and succeeded about a month later. But the damage had already been done.
The realization that the game was able to convey my issues and mindset better than I never could is a feeling I’m not sure a game could ever make me feel again. I’m gonna miss that initial feeling of connection and existentialism that this game forced me to feel. Truly fantastic stuff
I'm telling you fellas, between this game, Undertale/Deltarune, Cuphead, Hollow Knight, DDLC and a ton of other titles, indie music just keeps getting better and better. If we aren't careful, we'll soon have to start composing 4-hour-long sonatas for every track in our new games just to hit average quality.
@@SethIsTheBethst Ok, I admit Undertale and Hollow Knight definitely had way bigger and more developed OSTs, but DDLC genuinely had some fire shit too, y'know? It's obviously not as good as the other examples, but it totally helped establish the saccharine facade Dan Salvato was trying to pull and then some. (Besides, maybe it's just me, but all that glitchy music still scares the everloving hell out of me to this day. Especially Sayo-Nara. Goddamn.)
me too when it happened I had to stop what I was doing just to appreciate wtf just happened .... also the song is really similar to some stuff i composed when i was young, it hit home in a lot of ways
I don't have crippling anxiety or depression, no this game didn't cure a crippling mental illness, no my grandparents didn't die when I was playing this, no this game didn't help me fly through school, no this game didn't give me a confidence boost in my life, no this game didn't save my life, i just kinda think Celeste is a cool game man i dunno
I love that Lena made this official upload so RU-vid didn't automatically put the "music" tag on it, allowing it to be played in PiP. It's the little things, like letting me listen to music while on Discord, that always give me that little happiness boost I need.
I took a digital music production class in freshman year of high school. The first assignment we got told us to give up one song that we love and listen to often and not listen to it for the remainder of the semester. I decided to give this one up, since it was my favorite song at the time. Once I heard it for the first time in five months, I cried . Thank you Lena
@@notyourpetmonkey2709 we went back to listen to it on the last day of the semester to try and understand how the song was created based off of what we learned over the semester. Like I tried to figure out what kind of sound waves she used in the synths, the drum beat, LFO, etc. It made me appreciate this song a whole lot more once I knew how much skill and work was put into it
@@likegarlic5284 Im about to take a music production class next semester and this sounds like a cool thing to do. I'm going to do this on my own volition as well.
in case anyone wants time stamps... because i sure want! blocks inactive: 0:00 to 2:11 blocks active: 2:12 to 4:25 Badeline conversation: 4:26 to 5:52 Badeline chase: 5:53 to 8:58 phone call: 8:59 to 9:38 man this soundtrack is so good and it all blends so seamlessly! Lena Raine, that you so much for this, you did such a great job with this ost! I'm gonna buy it when i can.
As someone with anxiety, the part where she has an Anxiety attack shocked me on how realistic it was, not being able to breathe, acting as you stuck in a cage of your own despair, it genuinely shocked me and made me think about all the things going on around me more
@@zselimegmen8714 During my panic atacks I find it hard to focus on one thing and find it hard to visualise anything. I tried but just not for me I suppose!
@@sticklabs8540 Try meditation if you haven't...its helped me a lot as I've practiced it for about a year now. It might not work but its worth a try! (Would also suggest religion stuff to make sense of life...but I know how people with that these days...key take away if your not religious is always aim for the highest good and love is what life is all about! :D)
I had the same experience! I actually can't play this game unless I'm in a very specific mood, I often can't handle just how close to home it's hitting XD
Lena did really put her soul into these tracks. But gotta say this gives off a very different vibe when you have 5 bad clones of yourself chasing you on a mountain lol
This decade was the skyrocketing trip of wonderful indie games: Super Meat Boy, Shovel Knight, Undertale, Deltarune, Freedom Planet, Celeste, Terraria, The Binding of Isaac games, the FNAF games, Cuphead, etc. These are unforgettable masterpieces and they shouldn't be forgotten. This comment was made by an Undertale/Deltarune fan. Update: A new entry was added to the list. Seriously, Freedom Planet is excellent stuff, if you like Classic Sonic, you ought to check it out!
@@commentarysheep I wouldn't say Terraria is an indie game at this point, but you hit the nail right on the head. Kind of disappointed that Shovel Knight moved the update from April 9 to some undecided day in the future, but I'm ready for the Terraria update. It looks like it's gonna be great.
@@altodomino2721 All great games. I'd say Dead Cells, Environmental Station Alpha, FEZ (controversy aside), Ori and the Blind Forest, and Wings of Vi (personal bias) were pretty good indies too in the last decade.
„Did you seriously pay 20 Bucks for one Level and one Track?“ Yes, yes I did! And it was worth it! Celeste is now my favorite 2D Plattformer and one of my favorite Games of all time
How did it take me this long to realize that this track eventually goes into First Steps but in the MINOR key. makes so much sense, given the level and story.
You mean the leitmotif that's in most of the soundtrack? There's also a Resurrections motif in several parts of Resurrections (including the chase theme) and in Awake
@@plexquared1877 I called her PragMadeline, since she described herself as "the pragmatic part." I thought it was kind of clever. Especially since she didn't turn out to be bad in the end
This litteraly was a life savor for me on my first backpacking trip. I downloaded all the celeste soundtracks and listened to them repeatedely and they really made an unfit person like me feel like I could overcome obstacles and stay determined to keep pushing and climbing
This game means so much to me. It came out at a difficult time for me. My grandmother, who I was incredibly close to, had just passed away, I was doing poorly in school, and I was becoming extremely distant and depressed. I was lost and I didn’t know what to do about it. The only escape from the world that I had were video games, but I started to see them no longer as a source of fun, but as a chore. I didn’t know what to do, and I was very near to committing suicide. On a whim, I decided to buy this off of the Nintendo eShop, and I spent a long weekend playing it. I couldn’t get past chapter 7, not because the game was difficult, but because the story of the game made me realize something, I can’t change the shit that forced me here, but I can change how I deal with what’s going to happen next. Since then, my health has drastically improved, I no longer feel depressed, I’m more social, and I survived school. This game saved my life, plain and simple.
Im so happy for you :D Im glad that you did not resort to suicide Im glad you managed to get out of a hole without a bottom Im glad you stayed strong Im glad that you never gave up Im glad for many more reasons... :)
I actually listened to the whole soundtrack while climbing the highest mountain in my city! Such a great feeling while listening to this masterpiece! Thank you so much Lena Raine. Hope to see more of your work in the near future
I got this game because there was a snowstorm coming and, anticipating the power going out, I decided to get a wintery themed game for my switch and this was it. Not only did it have a profound message about mental health and believing i yourself, but it kicked me in the ### more times than I can count. I finished the game in two days and only had to look up a guide once (during the part where you have to throw Theo in the crystal and dash at the same time to activate a platform) it was both the best and worst experience of my life, but most of the worst part comes from that last room in the mr oshiro chase (I’m joking I have no complaints about this game whatsoever). It’s only the beginning of 2022 and I can already tell this will be at least in my top three games I played this year (because I’ll also be playing hollow knight and skywalker saga and it’s going to be an epic battle between these three games)
Hollow Knoght, Celeste, and Skywalker Saga are 3 games I've played (minus Saga, just a couple months left) an they were both 17/20 games. I think that because we are similar in liked games, I would suggest Guacamelee. Its on the Nintendo Switch, and it's my 20/20 game. So fun
@@Just_Poncho yeah I will say that I was a bit dissapointed with the level design but everything else is amazing…still sucks that there’s no overworld enemy encounters especially considering how in depth the combat system is.
@@slimewizard7350 Well for me what made the game worse than the original was the fact that there really was only like 6 characters or at least it felt like that because of how most characters are grouped into categories that share the same abilities, excluding the 12 or so characters with unique abilities. And that long with the split screen no longer merging together in local co op (I bought the game to play it locally with my sister) also was a huge turn off
@@Just_Poncho I didnt have a problem with the character selection, although I do agree about the split screen. Really what always comes to my mind is how underwhelming the levels were. The first level that feels like a traditional lego level assuming you start at the prequels is the droid factory. Because before that you have, a submarine minigame, a racing minigame, a destroy-droid-army-with-catapult minigame, a boss fight, a ship level, a ship level, and a ship level. Everything else for the story mode is in the overworld, which is fun and feels like actual lego videogame gameplay, except for the fact that YOU CANT REPLAY THOSE SECTIONS AFTER YOUVE BEATEN THEM BECAUSE THEY ARENT LEVELS.
5:53 describes what "Running away from all your problems (assignments, deadlines, etc) but the responsibilities keeps haunting while you run" feels like.
My father suffered from dementia. I was told music was a way to reach those who suffer from it. One weekend last year, before Covid hit, I stayed with him and my mom for the weekend. I played this song and others from Lena while I made dinner. He stayed with me as I cooked. Covid struck and I wasn't allowed to see my Dad again for six months. By that time, the disease put him in a nursing home because he couldn't function. Soon he couldn't speak. I held his hand this past January when he stopped eating and we lost him soon afterward. When I hear this song - and I see my dad before I lost him totally. It reflects both sadness, grief and love. I miss him but this song brings me back to when he was still himself. That sounds sad but it's actually comforting. I miss him but when I listen to this I feel him next to me, watching me cut tomatoes as part of the last meal I'd ever cook for him.
Bro it's a very sad but also a beautiful story, I will pray for you and your dad this night I hope this soul rest in peace ❤ ( and so sorry for my bad english, i'm french 😅)
Everyone is talking about how long and lovely this whole song is being, and that’s all fine and dandy... I just love the little detail that if you wait idle long enough next to a wall during the level, Madeleine bumps her head against the wall when she thinks nobody else is looking. (I love that she acknowledges this might be a dream, I’d probably try doing that, too...)
@@giuseppecoppola315 Sorry if I came off as rude, wasn't my intent. I just thought your original message sounded a little condesending, so I replied a little harshly. But no offense to you mate, mistakes happen!
There is one section toward the end where there are five recurring piano notes (edit: I mean it's 7, but two of them repeat, 5 are distinct)... one for each of the shadows chasing you. Probably a total accident, but I couldn't disassociate it once I noticed.
I was suffering from stage iv testicular cancer. My frail limbs were giving out and I had been bed bound for months developing horrid rashes and skin conditions from the stagnation. I played this game and it gave me the motivation to overcome my diseases. This game quite literally saved my life
I love big budget games like Zelda, Xenoblade, TF2 and Dragon Quest, but sometimes indie games just do things so much better when it comes to music use. The intensity and emotion that these games portray is amazing. I think that the shortness of indies is what allows them to pull off such great stories and have such an effective soundtrack, there is no need to make things last for 60 hours, reuse music constantly or set up a sequel, it is just a creator or a team setting out to make something good.
This level was when I realized how incredibly well-made this game is. 10/10 gameplay, visuals, music, writing, technical depth, attention to detail, emotional & mental maturity. One of the very, very few games I consider a MUST-play.
I mean, she's talented, but considering that every major game out there has some insanely good competition, I wouldn't bet on it. Especially not on this one, it's heavily inspired by 28 days later's theme. If it was another piece that was definitely hers than yes.
@@You-vv1xvHe said "one of" let's not get hung up on it. And it doesn't help that minecraft community trash her because her music doesn't look like the days where they're nostalgic. Being along with people like Christopher Larkin means one of the best.
@@thefirstone4864 ig that’s right but I’d still just call her talented, not one of the best though…. not yet, anyway. She doesn’t have much of a name to herself to really obtain that status.
@@You-vv1xvIDK I like celeste ost more than games like hollow knight ori hades and even undertale it's make it easily one of the best because listening to it doesn't give it justice you have to play the game with gameplay and story creates the unbreakable harmony Me Listening on RU-vid still good but listening on repeat doesn't really do it.
@@thefirstone4864 still, calling it one of the best composers of all time means you’re putting it against every movie score, song, and soundtracks. I wouldn’t say one of the best, but she is definitely very talented and very good at what she does. Btw, you should take a listen to the ARK Soundtrack. It’s not bad.
This This right here is THE COOLEST chase scene i've ever experienced in a game. There's so much depth to this entire sequence mentally, metaphorically AND literally, and it was one of the only times in video games for me where the entire "battle with that side of yourself that doesn't believe" actually felt relatable I'm writing this at 11:41 PM on a sunday night but this is what a good game does to you i guess lma-
Idk, I'd rank scattered and lost around 5th, but I think that's probably less about not liking the track and more about how much that level absolutely beat me over the head (at least compared to the first couple and the next few after) I do really like the part of the track where it goes ballistic with the drums tho
Try searching In the House in a Heartbeat by John Murphy then.. Very similar tune and i think this takes queues from it but takes the theme differently
when i got gifted a copy of Celeste, i didn’t play it. When i was my absolute lowest point in regards to my social life, it called out to me. A close friend and I had a massive falling out, we wouldn’t speak to each other for days but we would put messages out there that we knew the other would see. We were both being petty, even down right toxic and cruel. I started hanging out with old friends she once considered hers, and she was left with the friends I had abandoned. Leaving all of that behind was cathartic, and forging new beginnings was fun, but i was inherently running away from my problems. It took beating this game for me to see that clearly. Confronting the “evil” side of you is a huge challenge, and the seed that planted the thought of confronting my Badeline was this section in the game. Akin to Madeline though, i kept running away for a bit, but i came to understand why i was avoiding the problem, and what i needed to say and do to put things right. After admitting I went on with this too long, her and I got to talking again. I am convinced this game saved me. Just a silly little platformer with banger tunes. All of this happened just under a year ago, so fitting that this crossed my recommendations. Whatever you’re going through, you can overcome it and you will be a bigger person than you were before.
I noticed something, the main tune on the first half of the song has one melody repeating twice in a small invertal, like "one following the other"... just like the "shadow chasing you" gimmick in this chapter Interesting
@@cathacker13 he just wanted to say thing like "oh there is 13 discs and made by c418 that means he/she have role on minecraft discs and if he have the role i wasnt expecting to have a different composer. " he didint say this song was bad. why u dont understand?
games that impact you emotionally like this don’t come out very often. the last game that really helped me come to terms with my mental problems was omori and before your eyes
I got this game when it was free on epic games for a day, and even if it wasn't, I would have paid full price for it. This is one of the most incredible games I've ever played.
@@rubystickmc8354 that was general grievous in emoji how did it turn to me not liking epic games cause they made fortnite lmao i have played celeste good game
In the whole soundtrack, there's one repeating theme that I call the Madeline leitmotif, the theme at 4:26 It's in: First Steps Resurrections Postcard from Celeste Mountain Anxiety Confronting Myself Little Goth Reach For The Summit Madeline and Theo Level finish theme My Dearest Friends and probably more that I've missed.
It's the Badeline's motif, which it's the same as Madeline but in Minor mode. "Little Goth" is also Badeline's. While "First Steps" and "Madeline and Theo" for instance, it's Madeline's.
I think the level that this song accompanies is really where Celeste starts showing off what kind of game it really is going to be like, and this is also the song that really tells you what kind of a soundtrack it'll have and what it will express, and for that it has to be at the very top of my list of all time for videogame ost, it's such brilliance, thank you for gracing us with music like this Lena, you're the best
seriously this song is so good man. The only song that makes me cry, I consider the best soundtrack of all. It's like taking my whole life and putting it together in one sound.2:13, BRO, THAT PART IS AWESOME.
well, haunting just means that it follows you in a somewhat discomforting way, slightly creepy or somewhat morbid. Perhaps it evokes a feeling of a bad memory that you've not let go, or a sense of dread that is more emotional than anything of a direct danger. It doesn't necessarily mean that it's immensely scary when something is haunting. The literal definition of "Haunting" is either what ghosts do with a house or "poignant; evocative", which this song certainly is.
The only bad part about this game is that I can't play it for the first time again. Edit: Honestly I'm surprised this comment got this many likes, it's useless, but hey, thanks I guess. And to everyone who will start the game, or is in the first few stages of it, good luck! I hope you enjoy the game as much as I did.
@@hazel2b2t Celestial Resort was like a kick in the face difficulty wise. I didn't die much besides when I was hellbent on getting strawberries. Then came Celestial Resort and *a n x i e t y d u s t b u n n i e s*
I never paid attention to the fact that Madeline's hair after fusion is pink because that's Red and Purple. I always just assumed it's because it's less-angry purple
@Theo Winthrop i thought that too but after a quick google it turns out that mixing red and purple comes out as a pink-ish tone of 'magenta' whatever the fuck that is
Celeste is my number one favorite video game, of all time. It's basically the perfect game for me in literally every way. The gameplay is fast and difficult, but doesn't kick you while your down like other difficult games, instead picking you back up and encouraging you. 'Be proud of your death count.' I find Celeste so replayable, I've probably beaten it 30 times since I started playing it June of 2020. The music is amazing. I don't know much about music, so that's all I can really say about it. But it's amazing. The sounds are satisfying too, if that counts for anything. The story is... something else, really. The way it talks about anxiety and depression is, at least for me, really accurate to how I feel. Madeline is the most relatable (for me) protagonist I've ever encountered, and I doubt that'll change any time soon. There were several times where I had to put down the controller and just relax for a moment, because the dialogue was hitting a bit close to home. 'She only helps people to feed her twisted ego!' was one of those moments, for example. Celeste made me _feel_ something, and very few games can say that. So, uh, yeah. Good game. I'd even say it's a 10/10, in my very, very biased opinion.
I remember the first time I finished chapter 1 and I just wanted to see the beginning of chapter 2 to decide if I would continue or not. Forsaken city took me almost 1 hour and I felt very tired. Not very motivated. As soon as I heard this song on Old Site, I knew immediately that Celeste was going to be one of those games that would mark me for life. And, well, here after 3 years I'm still with Celeste. With mods, creating custom room gameplays, etc. All because this song was what convinced me to stick with the game. Amazing music.
This song is so absolutely amazing that it provides me with a feeling that I have trouble describing. Serenity, curiosity, and peacefulness combined with a sort of sadness that isn't like any other and in many ways is like happiness. It is just so hard to describe it, but this song is amazing.
This game was so magical. The controls are smooth and easy to understand. The art was fantastic. The mechanics (The conveyor blocks in the Forsaken City, or the blocks that go towards whatever hit it in the Reflection level) are easy to understand. I was actually sad when the game ended, it was a really good game. I would pay more if i could.
Kid what about b-sides? c-sides? Golden Strawberries?? Everyone's always sad as they say Celeste "ended" but only a handful of them even knew there's actually c-sides in the game -_- so I'm asking myself how seriously the majority actually plays their ever so "beloved" games... Shallow fools.. Playing Celeste to an end is no darn childsplay - it's DETERMINATION! And not too few of it! And most forget: Celeste merely STARTS after you reach the top of that mountain where most of you already see an end in - but it's only an end to those who *want* to see an end! Talk to me when you *really* ended Celeste and tell me if you still miss it - if so, your urge for repetitiveness is beyond good and evil - just like the true spirit of this game..
@@silvercrystal3 Bruh chill out my guy, I don't like playing games after I have gotten the ending, I'm not the type of guy to complete all of the insanely hard levels or collect all of the straw berries. I usually just stop playing once I get the ending of a game. (Edit) also i completed farewell so hell no im not doing anymore b sides or c sides.
If you were able to finish ch.9 then go for the b-sides! You wished for more Celeste -THERE YOU GET the best of Celeste! You can do it! Die 100, 200, heck 1000 times per level; doesn't matter - it eventually will become less. 'Cause this is the true message behind the game. Listen to the awesome remixes of these levels supporting your mentality. Feel the anger at certain parts of the levels that make you wish throwing your hardware out the window. Don't be afraid of dying - it's no shame at all - the real shame is _not to try_ dying.
This is undoubtley the best piece of music i've ever heard in a video game, and it's not even close. And man, that's a huge compliment, because I heard a fuck ton of game music.
After playing this game three times, I have decided Madeline is my favourite character in the world of videogames. This game has touched my heart so deep... Love your work, Exok
2:14 easily one of the most memorable moments in gaming history for me personally. The exact moment the song changes after the mirror breaks, wow. Great job on making a perfect soundtrack for an amazing game
this game hasn't helped me overcome any anxiety or depression, but as someone who's trans, i really related to madeline, she's a huge comfort character of mine right now and i feel like i understand her pain in a way and this piece is beautiful
@@vividbiomass620 at the very end of chapter 9, theres a trans flag on madeline's computer. the devs have also outwardly stated it in news articles prior
This was the track the ultimately got me to play Celeste. I don't normally play platformers of this type, but I was watching a twitch streamer go through the game, and right when I heard the ambient music intensify at 2:12 after the mirror incident in the second level, I immediately stopped watching and bought the game to play for myself. The presentation of the entire game is amazing, but the music really just takes the entire experience to a new level. Absolutely adore it!
I originally had no intent of playing Celeste, as I didn't think I would enjoy being stuck on a small part for so long (previously my greatest platforming achievement had been completing the Path of Pain from Hollow Knight, which too six hours), but then about a week ago I finally gave in. Now I have 176 strawberries and have 2 C-Sides completed
Madeline: *moves* Badeline: *copies her* Madeline: *moves some more* Badeline: *keeps copying her* Madeline: *gets idea* Madeline: *dabs* Badeline: ... Madeline: Why haven't you copied me yet? Badeline: Just get off this mountain already...
When I first got this game, I had no idea what it was, and I didn’t actually have high expectations, it was free at the time and I was bored. But holy shit, I played it for over six hours once I started it, and the music is one of the biggest reasons I played it so long, and why I love it so much. Especially the haunting part when you’re talking to Badeline, and the sheer terror I felt running from her. Thank you so much for this
This track changed my view of the game from "this game is great fun" to "holy shit this is actually amazing" in the span of a few minutes, when it picked up at ~2:10 I got goosebumps, kudos for the amazing music!
Some much varying music for such a short level. Lena Raine and everyone who worked on this game really gave it their all on every aspect of this game. Thank you!