We Played Celeste While Designer Matt Thorson Watched

I talked to Towerfall designer Matt Thorson while playing his new game, Celeste, which comes out on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam on January 25th.
Celeste is a hardcore platform game about climbing a mountain. You have three actions: jump, dash, and climb. These three actions weave a monstrously complex tapestry together. Celeste is one of the more technically rewarding games in recent memory.
Celeste's surprisingly emotional story unfolds across several chapters. Each chapter consists of dozens of challenging rooms for you to traverse. Thorson says that speedrunners are a significant percentage of their target audience, and this thinking is evident in the level design. Playing a chapter of Celeste for speed is exhilarating. Each level is also full of optional strawberries, as a treat for the completionist. Some of these strawberries are far off the main path of a level. After playing through the first chapter exactly once, I asked Matt Thorson to coach me through collecting all 20 hidden strawberries in the first chapter. Along the way we enjoyed a leisurely chat.
Come hang out with us for a bit, and you'll hear Matt Thorson eventually say why Donkey Kong Country is not as good as Donkey Kong Country 2. (Hint: it's the camera, and also a lot of other stuff.)
Also, at some point, I'll pop The Boiling Question: "What is your game the Dark Souls of?" Thorson's answer may or may not surprise you. One of the reasons it may not surprise you is, well, it's a stupid question, so why would the answer evoke any emotional response in you at all? Well, at least I had fun asking.