Celeste’s 8-Bit Classic Progenitor Gets Sequel Made In Three Days

Maddy Thorson and Noel Berry, developers of the hit independent game Celeste, have announced a surprise sequel to the title’s 8-bit predecessor. Celeste is a platforming game which released in 2018, but the game was originally conceived as an 8-bit title developed in just four days during a game jam. This original rendition of the game has come to be known as Celeste Classic to help differentiate the two games.

Celeste was critically acclaimed upon release, with particular praise aimed at the game’s story and gameplay, as well as the soundtrack composed by Lena Raine. As a colorful platformer Celeste was considered a shining example of a “retro” game which brings old-school ideas into the modern age of gaming. The game’s story and gameplay compliment each other effectively, creating a unified experience throughout the title. As of March 2020 Celeste sold more than a million copies, a great feat for an independent game developed by only two people, and late last year the game became available on Xbox Game Pass.

Maddy Thorson and Noel Berry have just announced Celeste Classic 2: Lani’s Trek, a sequel to Celeste’s 8-bit predecessor, via their Twitter accounts. The new title was developed in only three days, and has been released in honor of  the three-year anniversary of Celeste‘s release. True to its name, Lani’s Trek foregoes Celeste‘s protagonist Madeline and instead features a new playable character named Lani. This change in protagonist drastically changes gameplay, as Lani lacks Madeline’s signature air-dash powers but instead uses a grappling hook to navigate the environment. The game is available to play, totally free, through any web browser or the PICO-8 virtual game engine.

While big budget video games tend to draw in casual gamers, independent gaming is an ever-growing market for those who seek more niche experiences. 2020 was a massive year for indie games, with titles such as Hades, Among Us and Fall Guys finding a massive amount of success both commercially and critically. Hades, a roguelike action game developed by Supergiant Games, was particularly successful as it swept multiple Game of the Year awards from various publications.

Celeste is considered by many to be the greatest game of 2018, or even the best game released in the last several years. This massive success comes from extremely humble beginnings, as Celeste Classic was developed by only two people in the span of four days. Now Maddy Thorson and Noel Berry have one-upped themselves once again, creating an expected sequel to the 8-bit title in only three days. While Lani’s Trek isn’t a full-size release like 2018’s Celeste, fans of the game will likely flock to try out this completely free successor.

Celeste Classic 2: Lani’s Trek is available now.

Source: Maddy Thorson / Twitter

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