9.2/10 – 10 hours
Review as written on 3/17/2023
There’s a “hidden gem” joke here somewhere…
A beautiful and lovable platform with gorgeous visuals, amazing music, and an unforgettable story. Indie games are really where it’s at.
Madeline journeys to climb Mount Celeste for the sake of confronting and bettering herself, embarking on a journey that covers topics of anxiety and selflessness in a way that doesn’t overstay its welcome. Much of the obstacles and enemies in this game are generated by the fears of Madeline herself as well as the other characters, and it paints a clear picture of how these feelings can manifest for some people. I certainly related to many events and interactions, especially topics of overbearing pessimism living within the mind.
There is a mountain (hehe) of charm and polish in this game as well. From the particles and satisfying sound effects, to the endlessly lovable polygonal level select screen, this game leaves you constantly smiling. From the moment I booted up the game, the sound effects and low poly mountains won me over INSTANTLY. To top off the charm, you can play the game WITHIN THE GAME by finding a secret computer, letting you play a little 8bit Celeste :).
The gameplay loop provides a balance of tight platforming with gorgeous pixel backdrops and lovable dialog. The portraits and sounds are unbelievably charming and cute (Madeline’s portraits!! She’s so cute!!). Platforming itself is intuitive in its creation of clever puzzle solving. Your dash and wall climbs are limited in capacity, but can be used in many clever ways to combat daunting obstacles and puzzles, helping you learn from each death, and offering an extremely rewarding sensation afterwards. The game never bored me with its loops, and offered unique challenges throughout. I especially loved combining everything I learned to tackle the final level. I also love how you can wave land Super Smash Bros Melee style with your dash, which proved extremely useful against harsh wind.
That same heavy wind is the source of my only large complaint, however. The level that introduces such hard wind was infuriating to play through, and it heavily dampened my time with the game.
In the end however, this game won me over with its charm, fantastic soundtrack, lovable protagonist and characters, and brilliant level design. Can’t wait to see what the Extremely Ok team has to offer next!
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