An independent developer by the name of hteumeuleu has (unofficially) ported the popular platforming game Celeste for the Playdate handheld.
Surely you know Celeste as one of the best Pico-8 games and one of the most rare Nintendo Switch games (the physical edition at least).
It quickly became a platforming classic since its original Pico-8 release in 2015.
Obviously the original Pico-8 version of Celeste was pretty incredible. And the remake for home consoles was even better.
But there’s just something about the monochrome screen of the Playdate that gives us all of the original Game Boy DMG vibes that you know we absolutely love here at Retro Dodo.
What Is The Playdate?
The Playdate is a cool little handheld that we would absolutely love to see become more popular.
It has a ton of charm with its minimal aesthetic, monochrome screen, and that cute hand crank.
And there are a ton of really cool games coming out for the device that combine the classic Game Boy style with contemporary creative concepts.
Some really magical stuff is happening on the device, and it’s content that you shouldn’t miss out on.
You can find a lot of the best Playdate games on the new Playdate Catalog or on itch.io.
We were a little on the fence with the Playdate when it released. And maybe we still are in some aspects.
But this little wonder has really grown on us, and it’s become one of those consoles we love having around for a quick game on the couch.
With so many new games popping up, there’s so many more reasons to keep it around.
Celeste For Playdate
This new unofficial port of Celeste to the Playdate keeps the feels of the Pico-8 game.
But it also gives it something entirely new with that awesome two color look (can you tell I love monochrome?).
From what we can see from game play footage, it appears to play almost exactly like the original.
Crispy, smooth, fast-paced, and a bit anxiety inducing; that’s kind of what that game is all about. None of the charm of the source material is lost.
The Playdate port of Celeste is a “name your own price” title offered on itch.io. Which means hteumeuleu is offering it entirely free for you to enjoy.
I would encourage you to show some support to indie game developers. Throw a couple bucks hteumeuleu’s way if you can spare it.
They would surely be very happy to see it popup in their inbox today.
Lastly, we’d like to thank our friends over at Time Extension for the heads up on this article!
Anthony has been a video game lover ever since he can remember. He became a fulltime nomad in 2018, living throughout most of Asia. He focused his passion in retro gaming and began creating a game for the Game Boy Color while living in Nara, Japan during the 2020 pandemic. He is now in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he spends most of his time gaming, going on long walks and meeting as many stray dogs as possible.
