Celeste Classic
The original PICO-8 Celeste, made in four days, with the dash that the full game was later built around.
Celeste Classic was made in four days for the PICO-8 fantasy console in 2015, and it is the prototype that became one of the most acclaimed platformers of the decade. Thirty screens, one mountain, and a single air dash that recharges when you touch the ground.
Everything the full game does well is already here. The dash can be aimed in eight directions, wall jumps are generous, and every screen is a self-contained puzzle with exactly one intended solution and several unintended ones that speedrunners found later. It is short, it is free, and it is still excellent.
Controls
Arrow keys to move, Z or C to jump, X to dash
Tips
- The dash only recharges on the ground or on certain crystals, so plan each screen around spending it once.
- Wall jumps are forgiving and work slightly off the wall. Use them to reset a jump you mistimed.
- Dash diagonally far more than horizontally. Almost every hard screen wants a 45 degree dash.