P-Vock's Music Box: Climb Your Mountain
Hello and welcome to P-Vock's Music Box.
I am so tired. I have had an unbelievably busy month, I have been more than a little stressed out, and I was dealt with tasks I never thought I could finish. But, somehow, I did it. On a wing, a prayer, and very little sleep, I survived. I made it through October and into November.
Part of me feels like I just climbed a bloody mountain.
While we're on the topic of mountains...
2018's Celeste is a quintessential piece of media. I would put it alongside works like Cowboy BeBop, The Godfather, and Stairway to Heaven as a piece of media I believe everyone should consume.
The premise is simple: a young woman named Madeline wants to climb a mountain, but she doubts herself.
Despite the doubt, she begins her journey.
A mountain is intimidating.
It's scary. It's ominous. It's empty.
It's exciting.
It's something she can absolutely do if she keeps at it.
Composer Lena Raine absolutely crushes it in capturing that feeling with First Steps.
It begins so lonely and distant. Just a faint glimmer, as if reflecting the faint glimmer Madeline has within herself to conquer this mountain.
Despite the negativity. Despite her anxiety and depression. Despite her uncertainty.
Despite it all, she can do this.
But it won't be easy.
To overcome such a trial, one needs to look inward. Fitting for a piece of music titled Reflection to accompany such a moment. A somber piece that accompanies one of Madeline's darkest moments as she has to literally confront her inner demons when she takes a big fall after coming so far.
What begins as hollow, empty, and lonely soon becomes energetic, lively, and hopeful.
It doesn't lose the intensity, because one doesn't just escape their insecurities. They can only battle with, and learn to work with them.
And when they do...
They can exhale. They can be relieved that it is over. They can be proud of the progress they made and what they accomplished. They can be at peace and bliss after coming so far.
They can even feel kind of sad that the journey ended because even the most arduous and stressful journeys can be filled with smiles and memories.
Once again, this is a feeling that Raine captures flawlessly in this soundtrack. There's honestly nothing I think I can add to it.
I have waited to talk about Celeste on this blog for a long time. I just wanted the right moment. On the surface, it is a simple game with a simple story about climbing a mountain. What Celeste is really about is overcoming those nagging feelings of worthlessness that convince you that your task cannot be overcome.
Celeste reminds us that not only can you overcome it, but that it doesn't matter how many times you fall back so long as you get up. Because it doesn't matter how many attempts it takes to achieve something.
A game that weaves this simple idea into its gameplay flawlessly is truly something special, which is exactly what Celeste is. Celeste is something special that anyone can play and finish. Celeste is something that everyone should play and finish.
Whatever mountain you must climb this weekend, you can do it so long as you believe in yourself and keep getting up if you stumble.
Thank you as always for checking out my content. I'll catch you back here next time with another suggestion from my Music Box.
Stay Brutal!