A Focus on Celeste's Animation

[@denchua]

When Madeline is left idle, she'll show a sneezing animation. I thought that was a really cute touch!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Ahh, I didn't see that initially, didn't let her sit idle enough standing! That's cools

[@TheGauges420]

She's actually got like three idle animations lol.

[@Megacooltommydee]

She can also scratch her chin too, as if she's thinking about how to get across.

[@Mushroom38294]

Not only animation, the sound makes up for it. She sneezes like a kitten! Every time i hear her sneeze i just go "Awww"...

[@TheActualMrLink]

Gesundheit!

[@CriticaLinkCritiques]

It's pretty impressive they got such a wide range of expression out of a minimalist character sprite. I know retro-indie style is in, but I'm noticing that these minimalist retro-style character sprites are becoming more common...not sure why that is, since Celeste is the only one I've seen where they still put a lot of effort into their animation. At any rate I really need to get around to playing this one of these days.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah, to be honest I think I'm getting a bit of hi-bit fatigue, it's just everywhere. I can't play too many close together, because it just burns me out, haha!

[@monchete9934]

Maybe because pixel art is more appealing to nostalgics and retro fans (most of indie fanbase) and it's easier to do (for the most part) than 3D animation

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Mm. But you can do sprite based stuff that's not so in-yer-face pixel art, if you know what I mean?

[@nowonmetube]

CriticaLink so you didn't see cuphead (for example) did you??

[@AeirEclipseHayastin]

Celeste also emphasizes the speed in Madeline's Fast Fall by thinning her out a bit as she goes down. Her hair is also very reactive to wind currents, combined with her animation of pushing through the wind and how blusterous the wind blows the snow in the foreground really sells how hard the wind is going. It's cute to look at, blissful to the ears and hard yet gentle gameplay.

[@dubiousdaggart6404]

It's a habit for me to read descriptions.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Haha, I'll update it!

[@qwertyuiop1854]

I found a pretty cool detail revolving around Madeline's idle animations, and it's that (spoilers) When Madelin has red hair (pre-chap 6), she only has 1 dash and has a continuing conflict with Badeline. But in chapter 6, she makes up with Badeline and "fuses", creating a new, vibrant, pink hair. Pink hair gives you 2 dashes. The idle animation for Madeline when she has red hair has her shoulders low, she looks around curiously, and sometimes sneezes. When Madeline has pink hair, she stands up straight and tall, her hair flowing in the wind. She sometimes stomps her feet eager to move and will look up sometimes to see where she's headed to next.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That's awesome, I didn't play it long enough to realise that! Thanks!

[@sileudies]

Actually I disagree with the last point, the reason she stands up taller is because Theo took her backpack just at the end of chapter 6 so she can climb the mountain easier

[@izekmon6854]

I LITTERALLY CALL HER A SQUISHY GIRL SHE IS MY FAVORITE SQUISHY GIRL

[@izekmon6854]

She's my squishy girl, she's our squishy girl,and I noticed all these things you pointed out plus you can also look up it changes by a few pixels

[@nonamea9177]

ok

[@xilnoi]

y e s

[@izekmon6854]

im glad people were able to see my love for madeline she is so cute

[@Stephen-Fox]

Lots of really nice stuff going on in Celeste, yeah. Hadn't noticed the way the chain moves on the traffic light blocks before watching this video, so cheers for that especially.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hehe, thanks for the feedback. I love looking at the little things!

[@rosse119]

Really enjoying your videos, watching through all of them at the moment and really giving me food for thought for our games.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey, thanks for watching! I'm really glad I can help in some way!

[@rosse119]

Dan Root id open any feedback/criticism of our games if you ever fancy it :)

[@PushedToInsanity]

Excellent video!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you!

[@domedin9894]

You sir are incredible as a programmer i never really wanted to animate but now im forced to and you are helping a ton

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey, thank you so much!

[@Megoover]

2:32 Woke up my neighbours laughing.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

😂

[@humongousppenergy6693]

God, I love your voice so much! It's so soothing that it puts me at complete ease. It especially helps with emphasizing your topic at hand. If you've ever got a podcast, I'd listen to each episode non stop! Also, don't have a twitter but that doesn't stop me from stating that this definitely is the best video ever!

[@Part_Time_Fox]

Great video as usual! I also noticed how this game takes more of a pacifist route in platforming. Instead of using your abilities to get *through* a room you must use your abilities to get *around* a room.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That's a good point! It's well designed.

[@plet0707]

I don't know what it is about your voice, but you just seem so calm when you're talking.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you so much!

[@CharlsieJ]

I like this guy he has a nice great comfy style, with a voice that fits perfectly with this video style. This guy deserves more exposure and attention.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hey, thanks so much! Do feel free to share this video around, help it get me more exposure 😋

[@jtmirrors]

Gosh dang it, I was just thinking about buying this game and you're not making it any easier. I enjoy how your channel has gone from an animated version of you talking about games, to talking about the animations in the games themselves.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Haha, just give in and buy it! Yeah, the animations, as much as I loved doing them, were very time consuming. And I think I've always loved the animation in games, so I saw it as an opportunity to evolve my direction 😄

[@jtmirrors]

I caved. So worth it. It's nice that you were able to change the focus of your channel while still sticking in familiar territory. Keep up the good work!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yay, you'll have fun! I'm glad you still enjoy the channel and stuck with it through the change! I hope your sentiment reflects everyone else's 😁

[@aidanbrophy9947]

These videos are great content!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks a lot! 😍

[@tattieverb265]

Such a good video. I love the new neon puppet logo!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks! Yeah I'm still trying to figure out the logo, not sure it's right yet

[@tattieverb265]

I think it's good. 👍

[@Sjaik87]

Love your voice it's soooo relaxing, and somehow makes me pay closer attention to your videos than I normally would 😄 if you ever did an audio book I would use it to fall a sleep, like for real 😂

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Haha, well thank you very much, that's kind! Well I did use to do podcasts with another KZbinr, they're unlisted now but say if you want to watch them.

[@Bloxed]

You are looking at this so deeply, it's amazingly satisfying! Great Job, Dan!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks so much!

[@Bloxed]

You're welcome! Also, I do read the descriptions! I saw what you said!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Hehehe! I'll have to update it!

[@MiddleClasshole77]

Really relaxing. I hope more people discover your channel, it's great.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you! Be sure to share around the videos to get people interested 😁

[@MiddleClasshole77]

Dan Root Already shared with a couple buds who like this sort of thing, actually!

[@dubiousdaggart6404]

I see you with the Time Trax ost at the end.Jokes aside,amazing video mate.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you! I do love that OST

[@hypershadix1]

Well isn't this something, you uploaded a video with a week of each other. Keep up the great work as always Dan.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks! Yeah, it was a challenge to see if I could produce a video in a day. This one probably took about 6 hours altogether. Unfortunately the next one won't be quite as soon :-(

[@hypershadix1]

Dan Root wow that's pretty something now you know how long it takes for you to make a video without worrying about your day job and other things and like always, we can wait because you put out the most professional content I've seen on here since I found out about SomecallmeJohnny back in 2010 Dan. I do find it funny that you and him have the same backstory as far as making videos go because he too also relied heavily on his animation in his reviews before just talking about the game itself and it's worked for him ever since. I hope that one day you will become as popular as he is one day Dan.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Ahw, thanks a lot. I believe I've got the skill and quality to be big one day, it'll just be a lucky day at some point. I didn't realise _Scmj_ did animations, I haven't watched his earlier ones.

[@hypershadix1]

Dan Root go and watch his 19 years and counting, a Sonic the Hedgehog Q&A and his 21 years and counting, a Sonic the Hedgehog Q&A they're really good by my standards Dan.

[@Soundole]

As always, I appreciate the way that your editing lends clarity to your arguments. Based on the connections you were drawing, do you think Celeste purposely uses little nostalgic references and design tropes specifically to make the experience more warm and fuzzy? You know, by drawing upon all these little touches that people will recognise and feel fondness for? I think there may be something in that, since so much of the experience has been designed around creating the most comfortable and calming rage-game possible :) Keep up the great work, it's wonderful that you're communicating some of the genius that goes into these productions to a wider audience!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks so much for your kind words, hat really means a lot! I think you may be right, and I think it's also a thing that works in Cuphead, as well. But squidgy and soft aesthetics will always give that warm feeling, so it's applied quite nicely into this game. Yeah, this is a great little venture, I'm really enjoying studying games through this animation world 😄

[@DEFkon001]

Celeste is one of those games I feel is under-rated no matter how many good reviews & positive pieces are made about it. Every time I try to recommend it I can practically feel the other person sigh and think "oh no another pixel platformer" even when you say, no no mate.. it's got great animation, tight controls, addicting gameplay and a motivating story.. then they look at you like "are you on drugs".

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I think if people aren't into the whole pixel art platformer scene, then it's tough to get away from. Celeste is a true masterpiece though.

[@ner12800bb3]

Celeste isnt her name... DAMN THAT MADE ME LOUGHT

[@cubedmelons876]

Speaking as someone who’s utterly fatigued by these retro indie 2D platformers, I can’t help but still love this game. They took the style and made it too cute for me to resist. I love the squishy animations, the character portraits during cutscenes, and even the digitized voice samples (which I usually don’t even like). So kudos to Matt for suckering me in one last time.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah I'm the same, I've just got a bit of hi-bit fatigue. They're all great, don't get me wrong, but there's just too much now and losing interest. But agreed, Celeste is a cute little masterpiece of the genre.

[@hotchocolate8008]

*OH MY GOSH THIS GAME WAS FUN.*

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yes it was 😊

[@glasseater3474]

Dam Daniel back at it again with another great video

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks! Yeah I do like the sound of Undertale, need to find time to play it.

[@glasseater3474]

Undertale would be a great video to do on.if you are stuck on ideas

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah, I'd quite like to play that!

[@louisejepsen3059]

Ok Quick question though. Does anyone know if the sprites of celeste exported in higher resolution to make those smooth squishing animation? Otherwise I assume it would distort the pixelart too much right? :0

[@lawrencewei3583]

the music is the b side remix of the track of celeste forsaken cit by the way

[@livvy94]

I'm in the middle of playing through Celeste. absolutely magical

[@livvy94]

Also heck yeah Tim Follin music at the end

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

It's bloody lovely isn't it?

[@The_Sonkles]

I really need to get this game. And yes I read the description of videos.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yes you do, and yes you do 😋

[@Smoldragoncat]

Celeste is the girl, Madeline is the mountain

[@GrOuNdZeRo7777]

Unrelated to the game, my daughter's middle name is Celeste lol.

[@misterbuckethead]

great video. subbed

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thank you so much!

[@nowonmetube]

Is it just me or does the beginning sound sounds like the teleportation sound effect in A Link to the Past? And the beginning of Celeste's music sounding like Breath of the Wild's beginning when Link looks into the landscape for the first time.

[@ok-yv9dd]

Best vid ever

[@Czeckie]

1:11 what's the game? I keep hearing "dust wars" or "dust falls", but no luck googling that.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That's Dust Force 😎

[@Czeckie]

ah! thank you! Sorry, I'm not a native english speaker.

[@cyantile5490]

2:35 I was not expecting that

[@cogigo]

Yeah I read descriptions.

[@miamor842]

So there’s this girl And uhhhh *sqoosh*

[@tbolland1991]

No mention of screen shake? That's a huge feeling of weight brought in by the designer(s)

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Ha, quite true!

[@TheCivildecay]

It's mostly because the guy (saint11 on patreon) who drew the pixelart is a master of the art

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Pedro Medeiros? Yeah, he's great!

[@TheCivildecay]

yeah and nice enough to release weekly free pixelart/animation tutorials on his patreon account :)

[@ObaREX]

Gawd stop skipping the story, Dan

[@barenuffsafe]

What game is the footage at 2:50 from? Amazing vid, really enjoyed!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Oh that's Hyper Light Drifter!

[@mersunarytigre]

The character in the thumbnail reminds me awfully alot of Kim Pine's sprite from the Scott Pilgrim vs the World game. Which begs the question; have you played Scott Pilgrim vs the World and if so, do you intend to eventually feature the game in any of your vids whether it be a review or an animation analysis? I figured I ask since I feel the game is up your alley (colorful, fun, wild animations, it's a Beat 'em Up, it has tons of references to Sonic, Megaman and Mario among other games etc)

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks for the suggestion. It might make its way on to The List eventually.

[@mersunarytigre]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3K8ZamEf8lqd5o Here's a quick trailer. Hope you enjoy it!

[@jacksontucker1070]

Great video!

[@rachmaniwuff8198]

Hello! I hope you don't mind me asking, but what game is that at 2:50? Also I really appreciate the analysis on Celeste! I will definitely give it a try someday.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Oh that's Hyper Light Drifter

[@doom5895]

Holy hell this game blew up pretty fast didn't it?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I guess so, it's been out for a few months.

[@rzbig]

> ...when Celeste dies she explodes into orbs

[@X1864-v3o]

mouth smacking noises made this hard to watch, but the content was great :)

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Sorry, but thanks

[@glasseater3474]

If you like the classic video game music you might like the undertale ost and a great game and a great game and soundtrack is crypt of the necrodancer.

[@bbreimm]

Beast Bid Never! wait...

[@nebulaxin]

Hair wasn't animated manually, this is procedural animation

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah that's right

[@Despedite]

Hey, great video you got there! Love this game. If you don't mind me asking, what's the name of the music playing in the background? Sounds really nice.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

It's actually from the game, I believe it's one of the C-side remixes from the first area? When I'm next in my files I'll have to double check. And thanks!

[@dengamleidiot]

Nice little video :) And a nice way you highlight the animation, with the blurred background and the zoomed in shots of animation in the scenery. However, the first 2:45 of this videos music is way to loud! I have to concentrate to hear what you are saying, and thats a huge shame. (also, why the intense level 1 remix music? It sends a completly wrong wipe of the subject matter IMO). Boom - criticism

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks for the feedback. Well hey, it's all a learning curve, I guess. It all seems to sound okay to me through headphones. I'll make a note to keep it not as loud next time 👍🏼

[@dengamleidiot]

Still: Great video. You seem like an awesome guy. Cheers mate

[@dengamleidiot]

Just for pure curiosity, can I ask which program you draw/animate in - and also what software you edit your videos with?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

It's all in Adobe software, a lot of After Effects

[@zig8925]

that music!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Such a good soundtrack, right?

[@zig8925]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy YES!

[@enneff]

FYI you can make your vocal audio sound better by using a High Pass Filter to remove some of the high frequencies that make it sound a bit too crispy. Not sure what editing software you're using but such a filter should be available as an audio effect you can apply.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks, all sorted as of newer videos.

[@enneff]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy Sorry, I didn't notice this was 6 months old. My apologies!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That's okay, it's just I get a lot of comments about audio quality on old videos so I just direct straight to newer ones for comparison 😊

[@Leikjarinn]

YOU HAVE TO DO LUNARK NEXT !

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

So looking forward to playing that.

[@slingman1074]

Did you only play the first level?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Up to the second.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

For the video, at least. I'm now at the forest area.

[@slingman1074]

good luck beating it , took me ages

[@virgobro2025]

PICO-8 hype!

[@JT-pv2nj]

your voice is so soothing and great for narration! dont like asmr btw... i hate how asmr exists

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks! I find asmr odd, but I don't hate that it exists, it's not exactly bothering anyone.

[@user-pw5do6tu7i]

the hair is animated too. think about that

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I think the hair is generated, which is why it's able to follow the motion so well.

[@bevweb]

Screenshake moment

[@WynnofThule]

Moral of the story: trans people can double jump

[@DarknessXX77]

Never heard of this game

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

You should try check it out, I think it's on most platforms now

[@kaiosobreira]

What's the name of the game with that guy with a vacuum cleaner in a forest?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That's called Dust Force, check it out!

[@kaiosobreira]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy thanks

[@Canadianmaniak]

What game is that with the old dude with a vacuum? Good video btw

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks! That's called Dustforce, it's for Steam and Xbox 360, it's a real cute game.

[@jmachine64]

What if Celeste was turned into animated series

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

That's be pretty sweet! Who would animate it?

[@jmachine64]

Dan Root Tyson Hesse is a pretty good animator who animates for video games such as Sonic. His animation is professional and can probably imitate Celeste's aesthetic

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I'd be down for that. Maybe Studio Yotta, who did Sonic Mania's intro (which Hesse directed).

[@jmachine64]

Dan Root How do you think we could reach out to Celeste's production team and Studio Yotta? (If it does happen to be animated)

[@jmachine64]

Dan Root I was going through some of your videos - which I love by the way - and I see that you have animated some as well. Maybe you could try to animate a proof of concept

[@PPo2]

The screen is mirrored at 3:01 lol. Nice video though

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Keen eye. That's actually footage from the trailer for the game admittedly, as I hadn't got that far when I got the footage, so I don't know if it actually is mirrored or not. How'd you know?

[@deveeyv7211]

Cool!!

[@glasseater3474]

Ps great video

[@fixnoamoi]

What is that other game with the dust puffs? I can only understand "Dust Wars", but Google doesn't seem to yield anything that looks like it. I think I misheard that title... EDIT: just scrolled through your previous videos and found "Dustforce" :D Anyway, thanks for this great channel!

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Oh sorry, I might not have spoken clearly. Glad you've found it though, and thanks!

[@Alexalder_]

What's wrong with the microphone?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Oh no, does it sound bad? It sounded okay through headphones!

[@Alexalder_]

Lots of sibilance, popping and shift to the higher frequencies

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I'm not really sure what those mean, I haven't got a super in-depth knowledge of sound design, so I do the best I can.

[@Alexalder_]

You can hear a lot of shhhh and PH PH and the whole thing sounds like you're on helium. I love your videos but you should check your microphone and maybe get a pop filter www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XJ19VWG/ref=s9_acsd_top_hd_bw_boF8j_c_x_1_w?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-3&pf_rd_r=SJZFBGHX4ZB5P8XFY8CC&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=66fd581c-43fe-51cc-8370-26403a80cc17&pf_rd_i=11974601

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks. Yeah, I did have it sorted once upon a time, but I've moved house and I think my set up isn't as good. And yeah, I need a proper pop filter! Cheers!

[@michaellayard5045]

Best indie game soundtrack this side of shovel knight imo (the game isn't bad either)

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

It's up there, Disasterpeace just nails it usually, like in Hyper Light Drifter

[@bored_person]

I posted a comment correcting you on the character's name, but then I saw the part where you corrected yourself and immediately deleted it. That'll teach me not to comment before finishing the video.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

It happens a lot, don't worry.

[@bored_person]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy I never expect content creators to reply to me, and I don't know why.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

It's because most of them are probably busy working on the next episode, whereas I work on these when I can around my career and family, and respond to my community as often and as best I can in the meantime. After all, it is you guys these videos are for 😉

[@DiePixelspieler]

Great Video but you should consider getting a better Mic. The hissing is pretty bad and did not match the visuals and content.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks for the feedback! Would you mind checking my latest video on Keyframes in 8-bit animation and seeing what you think of that audio?

[@DiePixelspieler]

Already did that. Its better but still recognizable. Anyway very cool stuff you got here. Subbed! =)

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks so much, that's very kind! Well I have a Blue Snowball and a Nady pop shield, it might be my surroundings when recording, or too much/not enough post production? 🤔

[@DiePixelspieler]

There are alot of tutorials for fixing that hssing problem with filters etc. =)

[@DiePixelspieler]

Btw, i got also an USB Mic and i got the experience to record with a lower Volume input and ramp up the Volume later in Post.

[@Oversat_]

Great content, but please get a decent microphone. The constant background buzz is quite anoying.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks for the feedback. It's a common criticism, it might be more to do with post production, as I've got decent equipment, but not great headphones at the moment, so I'm not sure if I'm hearing all the fuzziness properly.

[@suleymanbalyer1997]

i really enjoyed the vid but i feel like music was a bit loud while your voice was calm and it kinda felt weird... it was hard for me to focus on your speech

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@periclescomoeddie5215]

I feel like her squishy properties when she jumps are weird. There's too little of it, and it feels kind of unnatural.

[@zandiskoul]

Is this an adult film narration ?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

I don't unnerstand...🤔

[@juliuskulla2097]

"When Celeste dies"? Celeste is the game. Will the game explode into orbs when it dies? If so, I don't want to be anywhere near it.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Too true

[@Raylightsen]

Also, what do you see of ''gorgeous'' in a ugly NES graphics style?

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Well if you think it's ugly, you're not going to understand.

[@WangleLine]

Arghh please don't compress your voice recording so much, all the wet mouthy noises are so painfully loud and there's bright noise in the background whenever you talk

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yeah it's an old video

[@WangleLine]

@@VideoGameAnimationStudy oh my bad!! thought this was a recent video

[@ScbSnck]

god, your voice audio is awful

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Care to elaborate a bit instead of just insulting?

[@Raylightsen]

Your mic audio sounds really bad. Awfully bad.

[@VideoGameAnimationStudy]

Yep, thanks!