GDYARVE **Chapter 71: Some Persist in Beating the Game, Some Find It Unbelievable**
**Chapter 71: Some Persist in Beating the Game, Some Find It Unbelievable**
It's been a long time since *Celeste* was released, and most players feel a sense of redemption after successfully climbing the mountain.
However, some still challenge their limits day after day.
As the game progresses, the difficulty doubles.
Just like *Hollow Knight* has its own path of pain beyond the main storyline, *Celeste* also features additional content after the main chapters, such as B-sides and C-sides that can be unlocked by collecting cassette tapes within the chapters.
Playing these is not necessary for your game experience. Calling them "extra" is somewhat inaccurate, as they are not DLC additions but part of the game itself.
According to Sprout Studio, these contents are designed for players to push their limits.
But to players, this message translates differently.
Instead of pushing their limits, players interpret it as breaking their keyboards.
In *Hollow Knight*, we grow during our journey through the underground kingdom of bugs. We obtain various charms, our initial five health points increase, and our broken nail is reforged and upgraded with the hard-earned pale ore.
When we first enter the game, the worn-out and dull nail we carry eventually reaches its perfect form after five upgrades.
Using the Dream Nail on the Seeker in the Junk Pit grants us access to Godhome.
As players often mention, the "four bindings and five gates" are found here.
The four bindings represent Nail Binding, Shell Binding, Soul Binding, and Charm Binding, while the five gates house the game's 42 bosses, ranked by difficulty.
With each binding applied, can you still defeat your former foes?
One binding not enough? How about two, three, or four?
Under four bindings, your initial five health points are reduced to four, your soul storage is limited to one unit, all charms are disabled, and your upgraded nail is weakened.
When players finally beat the game and feel they can view it from a different perspective, they indeed see it in a new light.
Beating the game is just the beginning of more pain.
"When I thought I was healed, I realized it was just the beginning of the pain," Inzi said, his face contorted. He desperately wanted these games off his computer.
But no matter how many times he yelled, he couldn't let go.
During his playthrough of *Celeste*, he found the B-side tapes. Each chapter has a B-side tape.
Initially, he didn't care much about finding the B-side tapes, thinking it wouldn't be Sprout Studio's style without them.
But after finishing the B-side climb, he unlocked the C-side.
A postcard popped up on the screen.
**"Ready for the real challenge? C-side unlocked, and golden strawberries have appeared at the start of each chapter! Good luck!"**
"WTF!" Inzi punched his desk, "There's a C-side too?"
After completing the A-sides, he started the B-sides.
Despite dying in the later chapters of the A-sides, the game felt relatively easy compared to the hellish difficulty he experienced at the beginning.
The game retains Sprout Studio's signature style, allowing players to grow within the game.
But once he began the B-side, he realized he hadn't learned his lesson.
The four bindings and five gates had given him a harsh slap, an unforgettable lesson.
Now he thought, 'Just a B-side?'
Despite the difficulty, he pushed through and completed it, but when the C-side notification popped up, he lost it. He completely broke down.
‘Sprout Studio is truly out of this world.’
‘I always knew but never said anything, just loved watching people break down.’
‘LOL, I went numb when I found out about the C-side. It was a crushing moment.’
…
In the A-side, there are plenty of platforms, but in the B-side and C-side, you might barely see any platforms throughout the chapter.
The entire process involves constant dashing.
Players refer to this as "Celeste Speed."
When the first player posted a screenshot online after collecting all the strawberries and tagged Sprout Studio, everyone was shocked.
**"Sprout Studio, I did it! [Image] Thank you for creating such a great game. I'm so glad I played it.
The 'suffering' you endured becomes the path under your feet. Step by step, you climb to the summit."**
The image showed 202 strawberries, including 175 regular strawberries, 25 golden strawberries, 1 moon strawberry, and 1 flying golden strawberry.
Golden strawberries require completing the chapter without dying to obtain.
*Celeste* has a phrase, "Celebrate your deaths."
This phrase represents the thousands of deaths players experience during the game.
But the appearance of golden strawberries completely changed everyone's understanding.
You need to complete the chapter without dying to obtain them.
The game increases in difficulty step by step, and in the ninth chapter, all previous game mechanics and challenges are combined.
Playing the ninth chapter feels like looking back at how far you've come.
This feeling is strong, like looking back after just reaching the mountain top.
So after the ninth chapter's summary, can you complete a chapter without dying to get the golden strawberry?
When people saw this screenshot, they went crazy.
‘I always thought no one could achieve this.’
‘I see a perfect human.’
‘As expected, top players evolve in different directions, leaving me behind.’
‘So difficult, goodbye golden strawberry~~’
Sprout Studio quickly responded,
**"Amazing! ψ(*｀ー)ψ We'll have a staff member contact you soon, so please check your messages. We'll send you a special golden strawberry badge and keycap. Thank you for playing our game."**
Under that tagged message, comments flooded in from players who wanted to see the expert's gameplay and a video of completing the game without dying.
Some persist in beating the game, some find it unbelievable.
"I think this is what passion is," Tuanzi said, watching the video tagged to Sprout Studio.
She only completed the A-side and gave up on the B-side climb.
"No matter the field, those who love what they do and dare to challenge the impossible will always be respected by ordinary people like me, always!"
**(End of Chapter)**