What are the best games like Celeste?
Celeste came out almost a year ago to the day and has gotten such critical acclaim that it won the award for best Indie game and Games for Impact at the 2018 Game Awards.
Perhaps you’ve finished the journey of climbing up Celeste Mountain. Maybe you’ve even done it multiple times or you’ve done a speedrun of the game and you know the chapters like the back of your hand.
And yet maybe you want to experience a new adventure, but you’re not sure where to look. Here are 10 games that are similar enough to Celeste so that you don’t feel alienated, but just different enough so that you don’t feel like you’re playing bootleg clones of the game.
10. Hollow Knight
Hollow Knight Gameplay
Hollow Knight is a Metroidvania that takes place in a long-forgotten kingdom known as Hallownest. Hallownest lies underneath a ghost town called Dirtmouth. You take control of a genderless vessel known as The Knight. A lot of people go to Hallownest with riches, glory, or answers to their past in mind. However, The Knight has the goal of finding out the mysteries of Hallownest.
The Knight comes initially equipped with nothing but an old worn-down Nail. However, throughout the course of the journey, The Knight will meet a being known as The Nailsmith whom can enhance The Knight’s nail to improve its damage output and teach The Knight how to use new skills known as Nail Arts.
That nail is useless though unless there are enemies to use the abilities you learn and the nail you have. And thankfully, Hollow Knight offers a variety of enemies to do just that with including a flying predator known as the Vengefly that will home in on you when you are within range, and a fungal creature known as the Ambloom that will crawl around but deal damage upon contact.
Explore an expansive hand-drawn world filled with areas such as a hive filled with bees, caverns filled with fungus, and a webbed structure filled with spiders among other areas. In addition, throughout your exploration of Hallownest, experience a story filled with memorable moments.
Fake? You’re Not Even Good Enough to be My Fake: The Knight finds itself up against a giant Knight equipped with a nail known as The False Knight.
This Area? A Bee Plus at Worst: The Knight will have a variety of areas to explore in Hallownest including The Hive pictured above.
9. Spelunky
Spelunky Gameplay
Spelunky is a platformer with roguelite elements that takes place in the mines. You take control of an explorer known as The Spelunker and your goal is to explore the mines looking for as many goods as possible during your exploration.
During your exploration of the mines, you have complete freedom to experience your adventure however you like. Are you lacking items you need in your inventory but there’s a shop nearby? You can choose to buy that item... Or steal it if you want to tempt fate.
You will find many traps and enemies along the journey such as bombs and mines that will blow up when you are in range, totally not sharp spikes you can fall into, cobras that will spit venom at you, and scorpions that will sting you among many other traps and enemies.
Explore the mines of Spelunky with your friends helping you out (hopefully), or take all the glory for yourself. Or if your friend accidentally killed you in co-op mode, you can get your revenge on them in a competitive Deathmatch mode.
That Moment When You’re too broke: The Spelunker doesn’t have enough money and might have to resort to stealing the storekeeper’s items if the items in question are necessary.
Another Damsel in Distress? Do I look like a (Not) Plumber?: The Spelunker will find lots of women throughout his adventure that will need your help. (This one doesn’t look like she’s in peril though) However, you do NOT have to save them. That choice is entirely up to you.
8. Rogue Legacy
Rogue Legacy Gameplay
Rogue Legacy is a 2D Action Platformer with roguelite elements. Rogue Legacy takes place in a castle that changes on each playthrough. You control a nameless character and your goal is to make your way through the castle and defeat any enemies and bosses you meet along the way.
You’ll meet lots of different enemies and bosses on your journey. For example, one boss you’ll meet a giant eyeball known as The Gatekeeper that will shoot red teardrop missiles at you. Some enemies that you’ll find will include different variations on a wolf and different variations on a Shield Knight among many other different types of enemies. Can you survive the hordes of enemies that you find?
Your character can take on one of many potential classes on your adventure. Fly and breathe fire if you choose to be a dragon, cast spells as a mage, or tank a lot more damage before you die as a Barbarian. These are just a few potential classes that your character can take the role of.
In addition to the classes, your character also has traits unique to them and the children that inherit their traits upon your first character’s death. Perhaps your character has Coprolalia, which will cause the character to swear upon being hit or dying. Or they might have dyslexia, which will result in text being scrambled (dialogue included) since they have a hard time reading.
Pain As Far As the Eye Can See: The player is face to eye against a boss known as The Gatekeeper.
Remember the Days of the Arcade?: The player’s character has the Nostalgia trait. There are over 35 traits that can affect the player’s character.
7. Iconoclasts
Iconoclasts Gameplay
Iconoclasts is an action adventure platformer where you play as a female renegade mechanic named Robin. The planet is on the verge of dying and Robin wants to help people as a mechanic, discover the secrets of this world, and fix the world.
There are over 20 bosses that Robin will have to take down on her journey such as a spiky contraption that will roll around trying to harm you with its spikes called The Controller, and a large machine with a couple attacks that it will use against you called Inti among many others.
These bosses will be all over a world filled with many breathtaking locations such as the grasslands that is Blockrock, the desert like forest area that is Shard Wastelands, and the vertically large Tower among other locations.
Experience a personal story where the main themes are faith, purpose, and the challenge of helping others out.
A Shootout? But The AI is OP: Robin is up against an enemy with a shield. I wonder how the player plans to bypass this obstacle.
Keep Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’: Robin is up against the first boss known as The Controller.
6. Battle Princess Madelyn
Battle Princess Madelyn Gameplay
Battle Princess Madelyn is a platformer that takes inspiration from playing Ghouls ‘n Ghosts as well as Wonder Boy 3. It takes place in a kingdom in peril and you play as a princess named Madelyn and you have a ghostly canine named Fritzy by your side. The aim is to rescue your family and save the world from darkness.
There are 2 styles in which you can experience the adventure of Battle Princess Madelyn. If you want to experience the story in full and get to know the characters as much as possible, you can play the game through the Story mode. On the other hand, if you want to maximize the retro appeal that the game offers, you can play through the Arcade mode.
There are 10 levels, each with 5 stages to them. In these levels, you will find yourself venturing through bone-chilling graveyards, wrecked ships, and a castle among other areas. These levels will also have extra secrets to them if you have the right weapon equipped when accessing them.
Madelyn will have to overcome witches, skeletons, and several other obstacles, and the journey will be difficult, but not cheap. With a little patience and some skill, the player should not have any issues completing Madlyn’s journey.
Witchcraft: Madelyn is up against 2 witches who have someone who Madelyn knows hostage in his underwear... I guess the hostage lost his armour before the game’s events.
Doesn’t That Thing Look Cuddly: Madelyn is up against a giant crab-like enemy.
5. Khimera: Destroy All Monster Girls
Khimera: Destroy All Monster Girls is a 2D platformer with beat’em up elements thrown in the mix. You control a female chimera named Chelshia and a bunch of thieving pirates have shown up at her island home and stolen the island’s treasure. It is now up to you to beat those pirates up and reclaim that treasure.
Chelshia has a couple of giant stone fists equipped that she can punch out those nasty pirates with to reclaim her treasure. You can upgrade those stone fists further to enhance how much damage they inflict on enemies.
In addition to pummeling them pesky pirates, Chelshia will also need to use her stone fists to figure out puzzles and gain collectible during her adventure.
You can take on the adventure of Khimera: Destroy All Monster Girls at your own pace. If you just want to go through the adventure casually, you can play through the Adventure mode, or if you want to go through the adventure as fast as you possibly can, you can try the Race mode where you will be competing for the best time.
One More Last (Stone) Fist Bump: Chelshia is up against a giant shark with stone fists known. Just one out of the plenty of different bosses that she’ll find herself up against.
Where’s the Cavalry: Chelshia will find herself up against a lot of pirates in her adventure.
4. La-Mulana 2
La-Mulana 2 Gameplay
La-Mulana 2 is a Metroidvania style game that takes place in the ancient ruins called La-Mulana. You play as a female archaeologist named Lumisa Kosugi. Lumisa is the daughter of the main character from the first La-Mulana game. There have been a lot of recent monster appearances from the ruins and Lumisa wants to find out what exactly is causing these appearances.
Lumisa will find some very dangerous creatures throughout her adventure that will go out of their way to impede her progress such as a giant spider with a long neck known as Fafnir and a large wyvern known as Vritra among other creatures. Upon killing different enemy types, she can also log them into her reference book.
However, Lumisa will also find many items and use many weapons throughout her exploration of La-Mulana as well. For example, she can use a few different types of whips to whip her foes into shape, and a rapier to stab her enemies with.
La-Mulana has plenty of mysteries that you’ll want to uncover, and throughout the journey, Lumisa will need to gather hints in order to solve these mysteries.
What a Mysterious Place: Lumisa will find herself in a lot of unknown (especially if you haven’t played the first La-Mulana) places in the ruins.
Fire Breathing Spider: Lumisa is face to face with one of many bosses that will try to stop her from solving the mysteries of the ruins, the Fafnir.
3. Cave Story+
Cave Story+ Gameplay
Cave Story+ is a 2D Action Platformer that takes place in a world where a race of bunnies called the Mimiga roams free. You play as a boy who woke up in a cave without even a clue of whom he is, where he is, or where he came from. There is a devious scientist that has endangered the Mimigas, and it is up to the amnesiac boy to figure out the mystery of his past, stop the scientist’s plan, and save the Mimigas.
Run, jump, and explore your way through the world of the Mimigas. In addition, shoot your way through hostile lifeforms that will impede your progress with up to 10 weapons that you can find and upgrade throughout the journey.
In addition, there will also be over bosses that you will need to shoot down such as a girl with magic powers known as Misery, a rectangular being known as Balrog among over 18 other bosses.
With Cave Story+ being a re-release of the original Cave Story with remastered visuals and sound, you can choose to use the original assets, the remastered assets, or mix and match between the two.
Red Eyes? Must be Evil: The amnesiac boy is socializing with a Mimiga. But something looks very wrong with the Mimiga. What exactly is this scientist’s plan?
I’ve seen Lunchboxes More Intimidating than Balrog: The amnesiac boy is up against 1 of 20 bosses known as Balrog.
2. Wings of Vi
Wings of Vi Gameplay
Wings of Vi is a 2D Platformer that takes heavy inspiration from classic platformers such as Mega Man and Castlevania. You take control of a female angel named Vi, and you must save your world from being taken over by the nefarious demon known as Jeh’oul.
Vi will find herself traversing different worlds in her journey such as a terrestrial grassland known as the Terrestrial Vale and a dark castle known as The Acropolis of Anguish among other areas.
Jeh’oul has a lot of underlings that he will send your way to end your journey early and in failure. What a coward he is. Can’t even face you himself. A few enemy types he’ll summon in your direction include a demonic puppy (how cute), a demonic worm, and a demon that will throw stones in your direction among many others.
Regardless of whether you are new to the platformer genre, or an expert in the genre, you will be able to experience Wings of Vi in full since you can play Wings of Vi in three different difficulties, and there are hidden modifiers to cater to players of all kind.
How does that Enemy See Anything?: There are over 10 bosses Vi will be up against. Pictured above, Vi is up against one of Jeh’ouls biggest underlings known as the Pr’Gora.
Blue and Green as the Earth Can Be: Vi is exploring around the Terrestrial Vale.
1. Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight
Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight Gameplay
Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight is a 2D Platformer set in a world that is on the brink of annihilation, evil runs wild, and dead people come back to life. You play as a priestess named Kaho, and you must meet up with the queen and convince her to lend you her power to prevent the world from being completely corrupted.
Experience the rich lore that Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight has to offer through the events that occur throughout the game, what the characters talk about, and the descriptions of items that the player will find throughout the journey.
If Kaho wants to gain an audience with the queen, she will have to traverse this corrupt world and use her sword and bow to pull off impressive combos and pierce spiders, and tomato goblins among others. However, those enemies aren’t just going to stand still for you and Kaho will also need to dodge the attacks that her foes throw her way.
You can experience Momodora: Reverie Under The Moonlight in a casual setting to fully take in the story, world, and characters. On the other hand, you can also test your reflexes through a brutal gauntlet of enemies by cranking up the difficulty of the game.
That’s One Giant Witch: Kaho finds herself one on one with a boss known as the Witch of Decay, Lubella.
Steady, Keep It Steady: Kaho will need to use her bow to the best of her ability to defeat the enemies of her corrupted world.
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