Have you ever felt like there is another version of you that solely exists to drag you down? So often dealing with anxiety, depression, or going through the process of questioning your identity can feel like a solitary journey with your only companion being self-doubt. Five years ago, indie game Celeste combined the difficulty of pixel-perfect platforming with these heavy themes and created a game that all at once feels so specific and still relatable to nearly everyone, and gave players hope. To this day the impact of Celeste is felt in the industry thanks to how it set the bar for indie games tackling tough themes within masterfully designed systems.
