The themes of self-forgiveness present in the narrative began with the idea of creating a 'more introspective' game, and later grew to become intertwined with the gameplay. Celeste was designed to be accessible, featuring game mechanics intended to make the game more forgiving in addition to an 'Assist Mode' offering several options to make the game less challenging.

3 (1988), the gameplay was designed to be minimal, while mirroring Thorson's experiences with bouldering. Inspired in part by Thorson's own TowerFall (2013) and by Super Mario Bros.

Thorson, who served as producer, and Berry, who served as the lead programmer, wanted to expand the PICO-8 game into a full release. During her climb, she encounters several characters, including a personification of her self-doubt known to the community as Badeline, only ever referred to in-game as a 'Part of You,' who attempts to stop her from climbing the mountain.ĭevelopment of Celeste began in August 2015, when game developers Maddy Thorson and Noel Berry participated in a game jam, where they created Celeste for the PICO-8. The player controls Madeline, a young trans woman with anxiety and depression who aims to climb Celeste Mountain. Celeste is a 2018 platform game developed and published by indie studio Matt Makes Games.

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