New Celeste DLC Includes an Affecting Revelation About Madeline That Casts Her Story in a New Light

When Celeste was released last year, it was celebrated for its outstanding platforming, but also for its affecting look at anxiety. It appears we didn't know the whole story, though.

Spoilers for the recently released Farewell DLC follow.

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As discovered by eagle-eyed Celeste fans, there's some strong evidence that Madeline, the main character, is in fact transgender. One Twitter user posted four screengrabs, including one from maybe the first user to spot it, that contain some pretty compelling evidence, including a small transgender flag, an old picture, and a bottle of pills.

It's a small gesture that isn't specifically called out in the game; a subtle suggestion, perhaps, that while Madeline is transgender, it's only one part of her identity. Still, it has some really interesting implications for the original story, which features Madeline contending with her "shadow" self. What was originally read as anxiety and depression may have a deeper meaning for transgender fans of Celeste.

Speaking of which, transgender fans seem pretty excited about this revelation. There's been plenty of discussion about it on social media today.

Celeste's Farewell DLC launched yesterday, and Caty called it a "brutal, but fond farewell." It adds to an indie platformer that we called one of the best games of 2018. In the meantime, the Celeste team has formed a new studio called Extremely OK Games, where it is presumably working on its next project.