Predicting The Game Of The Year Shortlist For 2018
4. Celeste
In the same way Undertale found indie acclaim when it released a few years ago, Celeste has managed to carve itself out a strong audience since its release earlier this year. The charming yet brutally difficult 2D pixel-art platformer is simply so satisfying to play, ingeniously combining a suite of simple game mechanics and pressing you to use them in varying and increasingly challenging ways.
Better yet, these puzzling levels are set before the backdrop of a surprisingly emotional story and a mesmerizing soundtrack, each level in Celeste's world dragging you in with a unique personality and quirky charm.
It seems critics found this to be true as well. Yanking in the 10's all across the board, Celeste has the second highest Metacritic score of the year, surpassed only by God Of War. It's clear that despite the small stature of the game's size and the independent nature of its release, Celeste has managed to land with unparalleled impact.
It definitely deserves a big nod when looking at the game of the year awards for 2018, especially as many notable publications have already pegged it above some of 2018's biggest blockbuster releases. It may be the dark horse of the competition, but Celeste is definitely not one to sleep on.