Why did IGN give "Celeste" 1 points?

※ Spoiler warning, the content of the article is seriously spoiled for the story of Celeste game, and it is recommended to read it after customs clearance. ※

I know this game because IGN gave full marks. The name of the game "Sky Blue" is also my favorite color. But I really made up my mind to buy it because I saw the word depression in the introduction. After 12 hours of customs clearance, I found that this game brought more emotion than when I played Braid.

Online recommendation and discussion are more about the ingenious level design, excellent maneuverability and rich details of the game. Only the discussion of the plot is few and shallow. Some people understand the game as "using yourself", saying that after better understanding of yourself, you can accomplish things that you could not do yourself. In fact, this is just an interpretation of the expression of the game. Some comments on Steam just say: "a warm story" and "the game plot should be deep". Even the evaluation article on IGN is actually an irrelevant sentence: "Few games will make characters openly discuss their feelings of depression and despair. The author did not expect that this pixel wind platform game collecting strawberries would have such a discussion."

When I was writing this article, it was not convenient to export screenshots of Switch, so I clicked on the most played live game in bilibili and wanted to cut some pictures, but the UP owner commented on the plot: "This plot is really meaningless".

I can understand that this phenomenon is perfectly normal. Depression is a problem of a few people, and it is difficult for ordinary players to have a buzz. Moreover, even if there is no plot, it will not affect Celeste to become the best horizontal platform jumping game at present.

However, for me who is severely depressed, the plot of the game is like a tight hug. It brings me too many feelings, which makes my heart hard for too long and becomes a little soft. Jumping over and over again in the game is just to see the development of the next plot, and the relief and emotion after climbing to the top of the mountain is not only described by the sense of accomplishment in customs clearance.

first, let me introduce the game background and general plot. Celeste is the first perfect game awarded by IGN in 218. There are only three basic operations in the game: climbing, jumping and sprinting. With rich level design and smooth feel, players need to constantly cross obstacles and finally reach the top of Celeste.

The game tells the story of Madeline who suffers from depression and wants to change her mood by climbing mountains. The mysterious grandmother who lives at the foot of the mountain told her that "the mountain will show you your true self". While Meadline was climbing the mountain, another self-evil doppelganger escaped from the mirror. Evil doppelganger is negative and mean. Meadline wants to abandon her, and thinks that the evil doppelganger is the culprit that brings pain. But in fact, the doppelganger is herself and cannot be abandoned. After a fierce struggle with the doppelganger, Madeline finally reconciled with the doppelganger and climbed to the top of the mountain together. In the process, Meadline met Theo, a photographer who climbed mountains together, and Theo's sister Alex was also troubled by depression. Theo helped Meadline get through the cable car safely, and they discussed the depression together. Meadline also met the owner of the villa, Mr. Oshiro, the lost soul, who trapped himself in the villa. He hoped that Meadline could live in the villa. The evil doppelganger told the fact that the villa was a garbage dump, which led to Oshiro being hit and chasing Madeline who blocked climbing the mountain. After Madeline successfully climbed to the top of the mountain, everyone went back to the mysterious grandmother's house and ate strawberry cake made by Meadline together.

Although the plot is not complicated, there are many things that can move me. So I picked some screenshots to share my feelings.

in the dream in the second chapter, Madeline answers the phone booth? When the phone rang, she told her ex-boyfriend about her evil doppelganger, but her ex-boyfriend lost patience and impatient response.

In fact, depression does not mean confusion, and in many cases it is even more rational, clear and sensitive than ordinary people. Of course, they know what kind of comfort they will get by telling their inner struggles. They don't want people to feel melodramatic and strange. Occasionally, when you can't hold on, you can feel the impatience of others after you talk to them. Therefore, it is the most natural and simple choice to close yourself, stop expressing your true heart and pretend to be normal. May also be the only choice. After all, depressed people used to be normal, and they know what normal should be like.

Back to reality, Madeline called her mother, and her mother comforted her, told her to take a deep breath and told her what was going on. But Madeline didn't say anything In the game, the color of each character's name is different. But the color of mother's name is very close to the color of the mountain. They are all sky blue and their hair is blue. Madeline's depression is probably caused by the growing environment with her mother. So, in the face of mom, Madeline can't say anything.

My ex-boyfriend has had enough of Madeline, and my mother can't understand herself. She can't rely on the two closest people, but she can only bear it silently. How can ordinary players feel this helplessness?

In the fourth chapter, the cable car suddenly failed, which frightened Madeline. Theo then let Madeline breathe smoothly and let her feathers float with her breath.

When I play games, I'm just at the bottom of my mood. When I take a deep breath with the rhythm of feathers, I can really relieve a lot.

Everyone has his own feather, which can bring great comfort when he is depressed. After all, you know yourself best, so take the initiative to try more to calm yourself down.

For me, I have tried many ways, among which walking and running are the simplest and most effective. There are just three colleges and universities near the company, and I am used to walking around to calm myself down. Besides, watching kindergarten children leave school, feeding stray cats and dogs, driving fast on the road and eating sweets are also some ways I have found.

In fact, Madeline is still eager to be understood in her heart. After all, Theo's comfort is much more important than the feather itself. I want to have a sustenance when I am afraid, but I am afraid of disappointment, and I dare not easily tell my true self inside. Because relying on others is dangerous after all. Although when you are sad, an earphone given to you by a friend can make you better instantly.

When Madeline found out that it was this evil doppelganger who really affected her, she wanted to drive her away. The evil doppelganger is scared and angry.

yes, I want to drive away the strange other self. I naively think that I can return to "normal" in this way, and I have been pretending to be "normal", expecting that this undeserved me will eventually disappear.

But in fact, this evil doppelganger is more real, isn't it?

when theo was in the temple, he was trapped in the crystal, unable to move, and there were countless pairs of eyes around him.

when I saw this scene, I was moved to cry and felt that I was Theo, and I was trapped there.

Theo is a cheerful photographer, who likes taking selfies, publishing works on Instagram and gaining fans. Everyone thinks that he is such a person who loves life. But only he knows that all this is just set by Theo for his own characters.

Therefore, when facing Celeste Mountain with special power, Theo can only show his true self naked, and can't avoid everyone's eyes, so he becomes motionless.

Meadline said: I still remember the normal feeling, but I can't find it anywhere.

I still remember walking aimlessly in the street for several hours the night before my birthday, and I was unhappy for no reason. Or I don't have the confidence to meet tomorrow. It's not that I'm unhappy on my birthday. Of course, you will be happy when you receive gifts and eat delicious food. However, those unhappiness are real, and they can only hide themselves and digest them slowly so that everything will be normal the next day.

I also remember one time, I went to a party full of strangers. On the way to drive, my palms were sweating, scared and resisted, but no one noticed. After going there, as Madeline said, she is very good at putting on a full-fledged style, eating and chatting with everyone and playing games. Even the most active one.

In the game, Madeline chooses to accept another self, make peace with her, and stop running away and being afraid.

it's easy to accept another self! In the game, you only need to break through the barrier repeatedly, and then you can find another self, and then the plot will advance and you will be reconciled. But in reality, it is too difficult to take this step.

it has been more than two years since I first sought the help of a psychological counselor. Although from the beginning, the consultant advised me to see a professional doctor. But I resisted for two years, because I still longed for a normal life, eager to be like everyone else. I supported it in every way I could, but the result didn't get better. Until recently, after collecting all the symptoms of depression, I couldn't stand it anymore.

My family took me to the hospital and had a thorough examination. I was diagnosed with severe depression.

The game says, "People can't run faster than their own shadows." So I can't get rid of this other self. It's time to start accepting him.

In real life, my "game progress" is stuck here.

the mysterious grandmother said that you can never really adapt.

I don't think I can really adapt to depression. But I also like my counselor's point of view. He asked me to think about the good side and positive side that depression brings to you.

Yes, although it brings a lot of pain, it also brings some benefits.

I have become extraordinarily calm. The stimulation of some small things will not bring emotional fluctuations at all, so I can calmly face problems and analyze them. I become more tolerant, I often put myself in other people's shoes, and I can understand other people's thoughts and difficulties. I have broadened the breadth of my life and gained life experience that others have not. My understanding has become stronger, which is the most obvious benefit I feel when reading.

When I watch Sixpence again, I will understand why Crane left everything behind.

When I watch Gatsby again, I will understand that it was not the gun that killed Gatsby, but Daisy's abandonment.

When I watch Lightness of Life again, I will understand why Thomas and sabine chose lightness.

So, depression is also good. I will convince myself to adapt and tell myself that this is just a new state, just let it be.

In the fifth chapter of the game, if BGM is played backwards, you will hear a monologue of Madeline, who stands in front of the mirror and cries to herself. /video/av19937194

Madeline looked at herself in the mirror and collapsed. She doesn't like to be afraid.

Before the game is cleared, I feel really bad. I can't rely on the people I once relied on, and I am on the verge of collapse. I can't pretend at home anymore. Just when a friend I haven't seen for more than two years got married, I bought a ticket temporarily and went to Xiamen to attend the wedding. When I set out, I thought I would be better, and I could go out for fun, see the sea and eat some snacks in Xiamen. But as a result, I just locked myself in the hotel. I ate KFC and McDonald's for every meal, and I couldn't go to sleep until early morning. If it wasn't at two o'clock in the afternoon, the hotel front desk urged me to check out and I didn't want to wash myself out.

being alone sometimes really collapses. I hate this kind of myself, and I hate being afraid of myself.

Just like blue represents depression, I think Celeste Mountain is a symbol of depression and exists in everyone's heart. People come here when they are troubled by depression. And every character in it is in a different state in different periods. Theo represents a state, and the way to overcome it is to put yourself under the gaze and set yourself a beautiful character. Oshiro, the owner of the villa, closed himself up and lived in his own fantasy, pretending that all problems did not exist. The mysterious grandmother without a name is the person who has experienced all this, which can be the future Madeline and the future Alex. Madeline is the player himself, the process of the game, and the process of facing himself.

what happened to me?

some people may wonder, what's wrong with me? What happened to you, you will get such a serious depression.

I admit that my growing experience may bring me a psychological shadow, and I also admit that my family's psychological state is not normal. But whether it is genetic or external stimuli. It doesn't matter. I believe everyone is unique. I am glad that I am lucky. At different stages of my life, I met people who brought me warmth. I am also smart, I know how to please everyone, and even many people who don't really know me will envy me and think I am excellent.

But what I want to talk about is not me, but depression itself. There's some talk about depression at TED.

Depression is not unhappiness, but loss of vitality.

inspired by Ted Chiang's science fiction novel Understanding, I think depression may be just a switch, an internal switch to death, just like the final command in Understanding. After all, depression is often associated with suicide, and severe depression always leads to suicidal tendencies. Statistics show that 4% of people who commit suicide suffer from depression.

living things will metabolize and age, which is an external process towards death. Correspondingly, the inner part is depression. If the theory of Selfish Genes is correct, it will become depressed because of the poor growth environment, that is, it will turn on this switch, because this environment is not suitable for gene transmission, so this gene should be allowed to die and resources should be given to better gene replication.

although it can't be demonstrated, and I don't want to demonstrate, it's just as well a hypothesis, at least it makes sense to me.

So based on this assumption, I gave myself a lot of comfort. First of all, I don't want to blame myself too much, because it is not caused by factors beyond my control, so it is not my cowardice and escape. Even if there are very strong people in this world, they can live a tenacious life after suffering a great blow. But because we are different, we can't compare them.

Secondly, from another angle, if you are not afraid of death, it is actually a sign of courage.

of course, regardless of depression.