The Secret Inspiration behind Celeste

Strawberry Shortcake: The Four Seasons Cake is an obscure video game released in 2007 for the Nintendo DS. You may be quick to dismiss it as just another licensed game of questionable merit. However, it’s a surprisingly well built platformer with plenty of charm. Even more surprisingly, it was one of the primary sources of inspiration for the renowned precision platformer, Celeste.

“I love The Four Seasons Cake, but I wanted to make a more intense version it.” –Maddy Thorson*

It doesn’t take long for fans of Celeste to notice the similarities between it and Strawberry Shortcake: The Four Seasons Cake.  Both games feature determined protagonists traversing through levels and collecting strawberries. Both games balance difficult platforming with friendly design decisions to encourage retrying. And in both games, characters use their strawberries to bake a dessert for their friends. However, the relationship between the two games is much deeper than these superficial similarities. It goes to the core of the games’ design philosophies.

Strawberries

In Celeste and Strawberry Shortcake: The Four Seasons Cake, the goal is to reach the end of each level while collecting strawberries. As such, the placement of strawberries impacts the player’s path through the levels. In an interview, Maddy Thorson, the developer of Celeste, explained how the strawberry distribution in The Four Seasons Cake influenced that of Celeste. 

“I was impressed by how the strawberries were so tastefully infused throughout each level of The Four Seasons Cake. It's true that some levels have strawberries mostly placed on the surface, but as you dig down, you are constantly surprised by the different flavors [of gameplay] surrounding each strawberry. It makes you want  more. It inspired me to make something similar."

Indeed, after playing both games, the inspiration is evident. In both games, some strawberries are placed almost directly in the player’s path, while others require exploring, puzzle solving, or careful platforming.

Celeste is also known for its unusually large strawberries. The game's strawberry ratio, referring to the ratio of the size of the strawberry to the size of the playable character, is regularly cited as one of the most impressive design decisions in Celeste. And yet, the origins of this design seem to lie with Strawberry Shortcake: The Four Seasons Cake. The two games share the same strawberry ratio.

When asked about the strawberry sizes, Thorson was quick to praise her predecessor.

“The creators of Strawberry Shortcake are experts in strawberry based video game design, and their strawberry ratio proves it. We did playtests of Celeste with strawberries from miniscule to enormous to check, but we shouldn’t have bothered. I consider it settled science at this point.”

Bubbles

Of course, not everything from Strawberry Shortcake: The Four Seasons Cake fit thematically with Celeste. In The Four Seasons Cake, Strawberry Shortcake can blow bubbles to access different locations. Thorson explained why she deviated from this mechanic.

“The development team of Celeste spent over 200 hours interviewing rock climbers and researching the intersection between mountaineering and bubble-craft. The sad truth is that mountain climbers rarely carry bubbles with them. It just wasn’t realistic for Madeline to have them in her backpack."

So, although Strawberry Shortcake can carry her bubbles with her and can hop on top of them, Madeline cannot do that. Instead, she finds and hides within the bubbles. Only after Madeline comes to accept the other part of herself, the bubble-loving part, is she able to mountain climb with bubbles."

(Left) Madeline accepts that even if she can't climb mountains with bubbles in her backpack, the bubbles can still be part of her. (Right) Madeline uses her new ability.

A New Understanding of Celeste 

"I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, except when it relates to Strawberry Shortcake."

Celeste is a beautiful game, but perhaps we can only fully appreciate it upon understanding its Strawberry Shortcake origins. The strife between the mountain-climbing part of Madeline and the bubble-loving part of Madeline takes on new meaning when we realize how it relates to The Four Seasons Cake’s message about the importance of friendship. Just as Strawberry Shortcake needs Blueberry Muffin, Angel Cake, Orange Blossom and Frosty Puff to help her win the baking competition, Madeline needs the help of Granny and Theo to accept herself. Granny and Theo help Madeline realize that she can leave her backpack behind instead of leaving her bubbles behind.

Today, it’s difficult to find a copy of Strawberry Shortcake: The Four Seasons Cake, so not many people will get to experience the vibrant backgrounds, energetic music, and fun adventure of this hidden gem. Still, even if you can’t play it, you can still enjoy its spiritual successor, Celeste. If you can’t fly on a giant butterfly with Angel Cake, grab a golden feather. If you can’t paraglide with Orange Blossom, float with a jellyfish. Collect some strawberries, and take a journey up the mountain.

*This is a work of creative writing. The supposed quotes by Maddy in this piece are all made up. Similarities between Strawberry Shortcake: The Four Seasons Cake and Celeste are most likely coincidental and the result of them both being well designed games.