While both ostensibly about running and jumping, Celeste (by Matt Makes Games) and Inside (by Playdead) have shockingly few things in common, beyond them both being excellent and completely free on the Epic Games Store for the next week.
Arguably, one game is the antidote to the other. The dark and intense horror-puzzler Inside—spiritual successor to Limbo—might just give you anxiety as you navigate its halls, solve its problems and get your limbs controlled by horrible brain-slugs. Andy Kelly had a few grumbles to share in his review, but was mostly impressed. Nothing that can't be overlooked at the always-palatable price of free.
Celeste, then, might be the perfect way to unwind after that. Despite its well-earned reputation as a tough and exacting platformer, its generous accessibility features and heartfelt story about coping with stress and anxiety might help you untangle whatever knots Inside left in your stomach. Shaun Prescott put Celeste through its paces, and was very impressed. Not only is it a great game, it's only going to get better—there's a huge chunk of free DLC in the works.
Make sure you grab these two now to add to your account and keep forever. This time next week, they're getting swapped out for an oddly similar pair of games. The End Is Nigh is a darkly humorous (if positively sadistic) platformer from one of the makers of Super Meat Boy, and Abzu is a surprisingly soothing game about deep-sea exploration and hanging out with cool fish.
At this point I'm starting to question the wisdom of Epic's giveaways, but I'm definitely not complaining. These are some of the best games in their respective genres. Put your wallet back and play these.
You can snag Celeste here, and Inside here. Both are free until next Thursday, September 5th.
