Celeste
Last updated: 2025-12-31
- Challenging yet fair difficulty curve
- Emotionally resonant storytelling experience
- Masterful level and puzzle design
- Extreme difficulty spikes frustrate players
- Frustrating mechanics design choices
- Technical instability and crashes reported
Emotions
The primary causes of frustration stem from the game's extreme difficulty, particularly in later chapters (e.g., Chapter 9, C-sides, and B-sides) and specific mechanics like wind sections or precise platforming. Players also report repeated deaths, perceived unfair level design, and mentally exhausting gameplay, which amplify the emotional strain. Technical issues like suboptimal controls, crashes, and input recognition problems further contribute to the frustration.
Players experience satisfaction from overcoming the game's challenging but fair difficulty, mastering controls, and completing difficult levels or collectibles. The rewarding gameplay loop, meaningful story, and personal growth from persevering through tough sections (e.g., beating Chapter 9 or earning achievements) also contribute to this emotion. The sense of accomplishment from completing milestones or 100% completion is a recurring theme.
Admiration arises from the game's holistic design, including its beautiful art, immersive soundtrack, and seamless integration of mechanics with narrative. Players praise the depth of the story, emotional impact, and the care put into every aspect of the game, from level design to character development. The modding community and the game's status as a 'masterpiece' in platformers are also frequently highlighted.
Joy is derived from overcoming challenges, mastering complex movement mechanics, and experiencing the game's engaging story and aesthetics. Players also express joy in discovering secrets, completing difficult screens, and revisiting the game for its replayability. The emotional storytelling and personal connection to the game's themes amplify this positive emotion.
Pride stems from personal accomplishments, such as completing the game, achieving 100% completion, or overcoming seemingly impossible challenges (e.g., 7C, Farewell, or deathless runs). Players also feel pride in improving their skills, persevering through high death counts, and mastering advanced movement techniques. The game's representation of transgender identity is another source of pride for some players.
Core metrics
Core business metrics
Steam review mix, revenue model, and refund leakage.
Steam review stats
- Steam rating
- Overwhelmingly Positive (9/10)
- Total reviews
- 133,525
- Positive
- 130,08697.4%
- Negative
- 3,4392.6%
Sales estimations
- Estimated sales count
- 9,609,365
- Estimated revenue
- $192,091,206
- Game price
- $20
- Review → sale ratio
Refund leakage
- Refund-intent reviews
- 1690.73%
- Estimated copies lost
- 12,162
- Estimated revenue lost
- $243,118
Review pace
Statistical analysis
Sentiment vs playtime and velocity signals.
Sentiment Ă— Playtime
review counts| Bucket | Neg | Pos |
|---|---|---|
| ≤ 2h playtime | 1700.7% Avg playtime 0.8h | 3771.6% Avg playtime 0.9h |
| > 2h playtime | 5892.6% Avg playtime 40h | 21,89295.1% Avg playtime 70.2h |
Velocity
review pace| Avg/day | 8 rev/day |
| Last 30d | 72.4 rev/day |
| Quarterly | 367.5 rev/qtr |
| Days covered | 2,892.4 days |
Audience segments
Who is reviewing
Buyer mixes, lifecycle phase, and Steam Deck signals.
Buyer vs key activations
Share of review volume
23,028 total
Organic purchasers20,50489.0%
Voted up: 97%
Key activations2,52411.0%
Voted up: 96%
Honeymoon vs endgame
Based on hours played
23,028 total
First impression0-2h8813.83%
Voted up: 78%
Mid game2-10h6,35527.6%
Voted up: 96%
Late game10-20h4,93321.4%
Voted up: 98%
Endgame20h+10,85947.2%
Voted up: 98%
Steam Deck monitor
Deck vs global sentiment
Deck satisfaction
93.2%
Global baseline 96.7%
502 Steam Deck-tagged reviews out of 133,525 total.