History YMMV / Celeste

* HypeBacklash: With how critically acclaimed and popular ''Celeste'' became so quickly, it is not uncommon to find those who found the game to be not as worthy of the wide acclaim it got from critics and general audiences, seeing it as a competent but basic and annoyingly difficult platformer. The games fans heavily pushing to have the game known in forums (giving birth to the "hidden gem" meme) would not help matters, though overtime eventually even many fans came to agree the game got overhyped.

** The consistent theme of trying to understand your mental illness rather than [[ThrowingOffTheDisability trying to remove it outright]] couldn't be any less subtle. It's also very effective.

* HypeBacklash: Unsurprisingly, given how critically acclaimed and popular ''Celeste'' is, it's not uncommon to find some who find the game to be overrated and/or not as worthy of the wide acclaim it gets from critics and general audiences.

* FriendlyFandoms: For ''very'' clear reasons, many fans are also ''Videogame/Persona4'' fans, or at least get along. There are a lot of memes and fan work surrounding this. HilariousInHindsight, as they both have similar named SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic tracks about coming to terms with your inner demons ("Confronting Myself" and "I'll Face Myself", respectively).
* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: Celeste is pretty popular in Japan, judging from it being the [[http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2018/07/japanese_players_vote_hollow_knight_as_the_most_recommended_digital_switch_game_this_month second most recommended Nintendo Switch game on July 2018]] second only after ''Hollow Knight''.

** [[https://radicaldreamland.bandcamp.com/track/resurrections "Resurrections"]] is an eerie, otherworldly and mysterious track that builds up in intensity as Madeline traverses through the dreamlike Old Site, before becoming frantic and tense at the end when Badeline starts to chase you.

** [[https://radicaldreamland.bandcamp.com/track/resurrections "Resurrections"]] is an eerie and mysterious track that perfectly suits Old Site's mysterious and dreamy vibe.

* FriendlyFandoms: For 'very' clear reasons, many fans are also ''Videogame/Persona4'' fans, or at least get along. There are a lot of memes and fan work surrounding this. HilariousInHindsight, as they both have similar named SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic tracks about coming to terms with your inner demons ("Confronting Myself" and "I'll face Myself", respectively).

* HypeBacklash: Unsurprisingly, given how criticially acclaimed and popular ''Celeste'' is, it's not uncommon to find some who find the game to be overrated and/or not as worthy of the wide acclaim it gets from critics and general audiences.

* JerkassWoobie: Mr. Oshiro is a rare character that manages to peg both aspects in about equal measure. He legitimately just wants people to enjoy their stay at his hotel, seeks to be a good host, and is heartbroken when his "guests" aren't interested in staying, even more so when he starts to realize how run-down the hotel really is - and that's before getting into his own mental problems. He's also pushy, domineering, acts smug and ungrateful when Madeline helps him get the hotel in shape, and [[spoiler:outright attacks her when Badeline pushes her insults too far]]. This is even [[DiscussedTrope discussed]] by Madeline and Theo in the chapter; Madeline is moved by Oshiro's sympathetic side, while Theo insists that he's dangerous and that they don't need to risk their personal safety to try and make a stranger happy.

* ThatOneAchievement: Certain golden strawberries get into this territory due to requiring a NoDamageRun of levels where one mistake can undo up entire minutes of work - but the cake goes to the one for Chapter 9. Besides applying the usual rules to a [[BrutalBonusLevel Brutal Bonus]] MarathonLevel taken up to eleven, there's also [[spoiler:the fact that at the end of the level is an additional, tough-as-nails room that ''only appears'' when carrying the Golden Strawberry.]]

* AlternateAesopInterpretation: One of the SpoofAesop variety; [[LGBTFanbase trans fans]] of the game like to joke that the ''real'' Aesop is "being trans gives you a DoubleJump", humorously tying the dash mechanic to the blatant trans {{applicability}}, especially after Maddy Thorson finally confirmed that Madeline is in fact trans. Some go one further and add "being plural gives you a triple jump", referencing how [[spoiler:Madeline gained an additional midair dash after making peace with her LiteralSplitPersonality]].

* ThatOneAchievement: Certain golden strawberries get into this territory due to requiring a NoDamageRun of levels where one mistake can undo up entire minutes of work - but the cake goes to the one for Chapter 9. Besides applying the usual rules to a [[BrutalBonusLevel Brutal Bonus]] MarathonLevel taken UpToEleven, there's also [[spoiler:the fact that at the end of the level is an additional, tough-as-nails room that ''only appears'' when carrying the Golden Strawberry.]]

* LGBTFanbase: Gained one after the release of chapter 9, Farewell, suggested that [[https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/celeste-protagonist-possibly-transgender/ Madeline may be transgender]],[[note]]Madeline has a tiny trans flag by her desk, a photo shows her having short hair when she was little (implying that she was AMAB), and a pill bottle is shown that may be for HRT[[/note]] later [[https://maddythorson.medium.com/is-madeline-canonically-trans-4277ece02e40 confirmed by Maddy Thorson]]. The game's story leading up to this final chapter is also easy to read as a trans metaphor, which is especially amusing considering that Maddy Thorson themselves was unaware at the time that they wrote it. Madeline's mountain climbing hobby is referred to in such a way that it can ''very'' easily be replaced with "being a girl" and the game's theme remains unchanged.

* AlternateAesopInterpretation: One of the SpoofAesop variety; [[LGBTFanbase trans fans]] of the game like to joke that the ''real'' Aesop is "being trans gives you a DoubleJump", humorously tying the dash mechanic to the blatant trans {{applicability}}, especially after Maddy Thorson finally confirmed that Madeline is in fact trans. Some go one further and add "being plural gives you a triple jump", referencing how Madeline gained an additional midair dash after making peace with her LiteralSplitPersonality.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation: It's implied but not outright confirmed that Madeline is climbing the mountain after a bad breakup, as a means to regain her spirit and confidence. She dreams of dialing her ex, and they both confirmed that the two haven't talked for months.

* FriendlyFandoms: For 'very' clear reasons, many fans are also Videogame/Persona4 fans, or at least get along. There are a lot of memes and fan work surrounding this. HilariousInHindsight, as they both have similar named SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic tracks about coming to terms with your inner demons. (Confronting Myself and I'll face Myself, respectfully)

* BreatherLevel: Chapter 6 can provide players some time to recover between much longer and difficult Chapters 5 and 7, as it's filled with cutscenes, alternative paths and has no strawberries whatsoever, leaving the challenge only up to the new Feather mechanic and the GetBackHereBoss.

** i n t r o c a r [[labelnote:Explanation]]Madeline's car at the Prologue that can be found by going backwards from your starting point. Despite practically just being a decoration that some people don't even see, the car has been hyped up by fans and occasionally added to modded levels.[[/labelnote]]

** Trans people can double jump[[labelnote:Explanation]]After Maddy Thorson confirmed that Madeline was trans, this phrase caught on among trans fans of the game in reference to it, often to jokingly claim that trans people being able to double jump is the entire point of ''Celeste'' in a parody of literalist interpretations.[[/labelnote]]

** No doorskip, unverified run. [[labelnote:Explanation]]A room in Chapter 7’s Mirror Temple segment has a few floating doors that can be skipped by a well-timed dash. In the first few months of Celeste, speedrunners avoided using doorskip as the 3 second delay if performed wrong is a bigger risk than the second it saves. This has been commented when a run doesn’t contain the doorskip. Over time, speedrunners have learned to use the doorskip and save that second.[[/labelnote]]

* EndingFatigue: Given that Chapter 8 has very little plot and Chapter 9 having a lot of controversial twists, such as [[spoiler:Granny's off-screen death]], Madeline and Badeline seperating again after many chapters of build-up and [[spoiler:the chapter ending in a FetchQuest for any remaining Crystal Hearts]], some players are content with finishing the game after the epilogue, leaving them with an ending good enough.

* {{Anvilicious}}: The consistent theme of trying to understand your mental illness rather than [[ThrowingOffTheDisability trying to remove it outright]] couldn't be any less subtle.

** [[https://youtu.be/__oZ-LYZ8pU Madeline And Theo]] is a beautiful and serene duet between a guitar representing Theo and piano representing Madeline. Undercut with a wobbling synth backdrop, it really gives off the impression that these two travelers have formed an unbreakable bond, even despite both parties' underlying emotional trauma. It's easily one of the most heartwarming songs on the soundtrack.

*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gV5jmlGXLRc Joy of Remembrance]] is a gorgeous violin-and-cello duet that really highlights the wonder of the dreamlike space the level takes place in.

*** The eponymous [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXIqXaX1blY Farewell]] takes the aforementioned determination and awe, before blending it into something truly evocative of how Madeline [[spoiler:has accepted the truth of Granny's death and resolved to set things right as her final act before waking up.]] It's an immensely suspenseful and hopeful theme that seamlessly blends together the [[{{Leitmotif}} Leitmotifs]] of both Farewell and the game itself, adding in an enchanting choir and gorgeous strings working in tandem with the synths to stunning effect.

* AlternateSelfShipping: There are a non-insignificant number of fans who took the game’s Aesop a bit too far and ship Madeline with her LiteralSplitPersonality, Badeline.

* CrackPairing: [[AlternateSelfShipping Madeline/Badeline]]. It exists...

** The "Chapter Complete" jingles as well, especially the B-Sides variation.

** Chapter 3/Celestial Resort is almost universally reviled for the moving dust bunnies which act as fast-moving obstacles in a game where most of the obstacles are static, forcing players to internalize their timed cycles in order to make their way through them. It's also rife with red fuzz which turns surfaces dangerous after touching them once, making mistakes often unforgiving since you won't be able to reuse any surface you've already touched.

* ThatOneBoss: As mentioned in [[AwesomeBosses/VideoGames Awesome Boss]], the fight with [[spoiler:Badeline]] in Chapter 6 has some great atmosphere, but it goes on for ''ages'', with no indication of how far you still have yet to go, and the (often lengthy) levels you run through would be hard enough without getting blasted by lasers. Eventually, it just wears out its welcome and becomes a chore. On 6B, they're even worse given the much harder level design requiring much more complex maneuvers ''while'' also contending with the boss' attacks - and it's just as long, if not longer.

** The end of Chapter 2 has sections where Badeline clones chase you through water walls as you try to collect objects to power platforms and open escape routes. Touching the clones instantly kills you, and they copy your movements, making backtracking extremely difficult since spikes are also around.
** The Core is a tough level on its own, but its B-Side is utterly insane with its difficulty, requiring ''incredibly'' precise jumps and maneuvers that require complete knowledge of all the stage gimmicks, including the various bumpers and launching blocks that are extremely sensitive to directional input. And like Core A, you don't recover your dash when touching ground, making management of your two dashes key.

** "Celeste is a hidden gem".[[labelnote:Explanation]]A popular stock response in various Nintendo Switch-related forums and subreddits, most commonly used to poke fun at repetitive "What game do I buy?" threads in particular and community's tendency to recommend the same small pool of indie games (''Celeste'', ''VideoGame/HollowKnight'', ''VideoGame/StardewValley'') in general.[[/labelnote]]

** "Celeste is a hidden gem".[[labelnote:Explanation]]A popular stock response in various Nintendo Switch-related forums and subreddits, most commonly used to poke fun at repetitive "What game do I buy?" threads in particular and community's tendency to recommend the same small pool of indie games (''Celeste'', ''VideoGame/HollowKnight'', ''VideoGame/StardewValley'') in general. Taken up a notch in [[https://www.reddit.com/r/tomorrow/ r/tomorrow]] - a parody subreddit heavily consisting of jokes about Celeste (and it being a hidden gem.) [[/labelnote]]

* LGBTFanbase: Gained one after the release of chapter 9, Farewell, suggested that [[https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/celeste-protagonist-possibly-transgender/ Madeline may be transgender]],[[note]]Madeline has a tiny trans flag by her desk, a photo shows her having short hair when she was little (implying that she was AMAB), and a pill bottle is shown that may be for HRT[[/note]] later [[https://maddythorson.medium.com/is-madeline-canonically-trans-4277ece02e40 confirmed by Maddy Thorson]]. The game's story leading up to this final chapter is also painfully obviously a trans metaphor from the start, which is especially amusing considering that Maddy Thorson themselves was unaware at the time that they wrote it. Madeline's mountain climbing hobby is referred to in such a way that it can ''very'' easily be substituted with "being a girl" and the game's theme remains unchanged.