Celeste's extra-tough free DLC is "on the home stretch" but won't arrive this month
And the physical release is being delayed.
Celeste developer Matt Makes Games has offered a progress update on the sublime platformer's previously announced free DLC, explaining that while it won't release this month, it's "on the home stretch of development".
Celeste's free DLC was initially unveiled last December, when creator Matt Thorson, in celebration of the game having sold 500,000 copies since launch, revealed that the team would be releasing a set of "very hard" new levels in early 2019.
Thorson popped up again at the start of this year, apologising that the new content wouldn't make Celeste's first anniversary on January 25th.
He did confirm, however, that the stages would take the form of one continuous chapter with no B-side, would feature new items and mechanics (although no strawberries), and that, in terms of difficulty, they would be pitched higher than "the current hardest levels". Oh, and that Celeste's new levels would be free on all platforms.
Although word has been relatively quiet since then, a new tweet on the official Celeste Twitter page has now revealed that the upcoming levels will be known as Chapter 9: Farewell, and that the team is on "the home stretch of development". And while this means that they won't arrive this month, the developer says "hopefully it won't be much longer."
Additionally, the update confirmed that Limited Run Games physical release of Celeste, which had originally been anticipated to launch at the end of March, has now been delayed. "We decided to hold off on printing until Farewell is finished," the tweet explained.
Given the quality of the base experience, it's understandable that the team might want to take its time ensuring Celeste is sent off in similarly fine style. As Christian Donlan put it in his review last year, "Celeste is brutal, but it's also sweet, and in its handling of the two elements it finds both a touching, timely narrative and an enviable sense of balance...What a game."