Panel 1
Dave: Oh, wow… taking on Celeste, huh? After you bashed your head against The Lost Levels, I thought you’d be done with super hard games.
Mae: You honestly can’t even really compare the two.
Panel 2
Mae: The Lost Levels was only really HARD because it took everything you expected of a Mario sequel and turned it upside down. It delighted in frustrating the player, and in the case of the reverse warp zone, ACTIVELY PUNISHED them for playing the way they’d learned to play on the visually identical first game.
Panel 3
Mae: Celeste is HARD, but goes out of its way not to be an ass about it. When you die, you’re right back at the start of the screen in less than a second. And while the steps you have to take to beat a screen aren’t EASY, they’re at least not deliberately hidden just to be mean.
Mae: And the rush when you DO finally beat a screen is amazing.
Panel 4
Dave: ...assuming you ever actually beat a screen.
Mae: I’ve only died 75 times so far and I’m learning more every- LOOK, IT IS A PROCESS OKAY?
Dave: Oh, wow… taking on Celeste, huh? After you bashed your head against The Lost Levels, I thought you’d be done with super hard games.
Mae: You honestly can’t even really compare the two.
Panel 2
Mae: The Lost Levels was only really HARD because it took everything you expected of a Mario sequel and turned it upside down. It delighted in frustrating the player, and in the case of the reverse warp zone, ACTIVELY PUNISHED them for playing the way they’d learned to play on the visually identical first game.
Panel 3
Mae: Celeste is HARD, but goes out of its way not to be an ass about it. When you die, you’re right back at the start of the screen in less than a second. And while the steps you have to take to beat a screen aren’t EASY, they’re at least not deliberately hidden just to be mean.
Mae: And the rush when you DO finally beat a screen is amazing.
Panel 4
Dave: ...assuming you ever actually beat a screen.
Mae: I’ve only died 75 times so far and I’m learning more every- LOOK, IT IS A PROCESS OKAY?