An auditory up and downhill ride

You probably all know those artsy-fartsy games à la Flower, Journey or Gris, the ones with a simple premise and shallow gameplay where the focus is on the experience. Celeste is not exactly such a game, even if it initially appears to be, both visually and in terms of content. Pixel look? Check. A torn protagonist in search of herself? Check. Partly spherical soundtrack? That's a check. But then there's the platforming action with tough jumping passages, time trials and a mocking death counter. The result is a gaming experience like Super Meat Boy paired with the story of Child of Light, equal parts nerve-wracking and relaxing. A curious mixture that is also reflected in the musical accompaniment.

The soundtrack was created by American composer Lena Raine, also known as Lena Chappelle, who worked on the score for the Guild Wars 2–addon Hearts of Thorns , among others. Her defining tool for the background music in Celeste is the piano, alongside wafting synths, on which individual notes and tone sequences are strummed almost devoutly.

In combination with the shallow beats, this creates an almost meditative atmosphere over long stretches. Although this appropriately underlines the thoughtful narrative of the game, left aside this works less well for me. However, that might also be due to my preference for more brutal action. These almost sedate tracks, such as Postcard from Celeste Mountain, Checking in or Awake , are contrasted by somewhat quirkier and more exciting compositions such as Spirit of Hospitality, Confronting Myself and Reach for the Summit , which are played during the more demanding platform passages. There are also a few MIDI versions of individual tracks as well as remixes, but these are more likely to be of interest to enthusiasts.

In addition to the beautiful main theme (Madeline and Theo), which unfortunately never reaches its full potential, the fantastic Scattered and Lost should definitely be mentioned, which manages a nice balancing act between menacing, calming and then upbeat again. Of course, my sympathy may also stem from the fact that I was stuck at this point in the game for the longest time by far. But that's the way it is with soundtracks, as I never tire of telling you: With few exceptions, most of the enthusiasm for them is fed by the experience in the game, movie or series. They can work independently of their origins, but they don't have to. In any case, the Celeste-OST has the potential to delight fans of shallow background music as well as retro nostalgics and experimental techno disciples.