Expedition Log #7: Celeste — A Final Farewell
Blind Playthrough
January 9th, 2026 - Hey, guys! It’s been a while. So, last I left off, I had just finished working my way through the The Core and coming out the other side a better, more disciplined player. However, there is still one remaining. And, unknown to me at the time, this would be one of my most arduous challenges yet.
This reunion isn’t a happy one. Granny is gone. Losing someone you care about is never easy, and the weight of that loss can hollow you out. Madeline is sitting with that grief when a bird lands on Granny’s grave before suddenly taking off again. Something in her stirs — a sense of connection, or maybe hope — and she follows it, chasing it higher and higher until the world itself seems to fall away.
This bird is part of her, so I think. She tries to tell me differently. That I’m in denial, but it’s not true. This bird is part of Granny, and I must follow it. After telling her to leave, I am on my own, set to continue my search.
It’s difficult not to reflect on my own life, even as I write this. My own grandmother passed away earlier this year, and it was one of the most intense pains I have had to endure. It feels as if someone tore a chunk from your chest. You keep expecting to see her tomorrow, but she’s not there. But I had to learn to accept the truth. She was gone. And while I have not gotten to the end of the chapter. I can only infer that will be the reality Madeline will have to come to terms with.
But while all of that is well and good, that is not what had the most significant impact. So, what did I hear you ask? Well, I mentioned the last chapter as a challenging one. Thinking back, that may have been a significant understatement. Farewell is one of, if not the most difficult, ordeals I have ever faced. Period. I do not think I have ever been more simultaneously engaged and enraged. This chapter takes away your double air dash and then loads you up with enough new mechanics to make your head spin. You’ve got the double-dash crystal, which restores the ability you lost. There’s a blowfish that you can bounce on, and that can also launch you far through the air. The most significant addition, however, is the inclusion of wavedashing. It’s almost like a bounce that launches you forward while recovering the dash at the same time. It isn’t easy to pull off, but it's so satisfying when you get the hang of it. Combine this with the wall jump, and you have a recipe for some super fun platforming.
Everything here comes together to form a remarkable experience. It’s beyond difficult. Right now, I’m up to 7,000 deaths, give or take. This chapter enraged me. Made me miserable. I died over and over and over again. Yet, I didn’t want to quit. I wanted to see it through to the end. To feel the satisfaction of finally passing that last screen. To be able to say that I won. In that way, Farewell is the culmination of everything Celeste represents. Perseverance in the face of incredible odds. The push to soldier on, to see it to the end, despite the pain, because it was all worth it to finish that final screen and come out the other side victorious. And while I haven’t quite finished the chapter yet, I’m committed to finishing it.
As I anticipate completing Farewell, I imagine a sense of closure that extends beyond just the game. This journey has been truly exceptional. Celeste is a testament to the power of perseverance, self-discovery, and healing. Every challenge. Every setback. Every victory. All of this will have been building up to the moment when the credits roll, and I can say that I have come out the other side victorious.
