Chapter 4: Golden Ridge

**Chapter 4: Golden Ridge** is the fourth chapter of Celeste. It features wind mechanics and other new objects such as Clouds, Green Bubbles and moving platforms that can be triggered by the player's interaction.

## **Gameplay**

### **Objects**

#### Start

The B-Side Cassette Tape for the chapter is located here.

* White Clouds
* Green Bubbles
* Water
* Wind
* Crystal Spikes
* Smashable Walls
* Pink Clouds
* Disappearing Platforms
* Moving Platforms
* Crystals
* Shields
* Shield-Activated Platforms
* Springs
* Skull Binoculars
* Cassette Blocks

#### Shrine

* Guided Platforms
* Crystal Spikes
* Springs
* Smashable Walls
* Skull Binoculars
* Triggered Platforms
* Dash Crystals
* Disappearing Platforms
* Green Bubbles
* Pink Clouds
* Water
* Crystals
* White Clouds

#### Old Trail

* Wind
* Crystal Spikes
* Crystals
* Disappearing Platforms
* Green Bubbles
* Pink Clouds
* Triggered Platforms
* White Clouds
* Guided Platforms
* Dash Crystals
* Shields
* Shield-Activated Platforms
* Falling Platforms
* Springs

#### Cliff Face

* Smashable Walls
* Guided Platforms
* Skull Binoculars
* Crystal Spikes
* Green Bubbles
* Triggered Platforms
* Disappearing Platforms
* Wind
* Crystals
* Pink Clouds
* Snowballs
* Falling Platforms
* Springs
* White Clouds

### **Crystal Heart**

*Main article: Crystal Hearts Guide*
The crystal heart is located in the second sub-chapter, Shrine.

### **Golden Feather Mini-Game**

Near the end of the chapter, a golden feather appears in the center of the screen. This feather can be controlled by pressing the up arrow to float the feather upwards or by pressing the down arrow to push it downwards. A box also appears, and the player must hold the up and down arrows at the right intervals in order to keep the feather within the box as the box rhythmically floats up and down on the screen. After the player succeeds at this mini-game for long enough, the box will disappear, followed by the feather disappearing, and the player will win the mini-game.

### **Alternate Sides**

The B-Side features harder platforming and significantly more difficult autoscrollers which teach the player to maintain stamina in order to pass certain parts. Unlike the normal level, it doesn't include the gondola cutscene, nor the feather minigame. It is divided into four parts, Start, Stepping Stones, Gusty Canyon, and Eye of the Storm.

#### Start

* Green Bubbles
* Crystal Spikes
* Moving Platforms
* Crystals
* Smashable Walls
* Springs
* Guided Platforms
* Triggered Platforms

#### Stepping Stones

* Wind
* Disappearing Platforms
* Green Bubbles
* Crystal Spikes
* Skull Binoculars
* Triggered Platforms
* Springs
* Crystals
* Dash Crystals
* Shields
* Shield-Activated Platforms

#### Gusty Canyon

* Wind
* Crystal Spikes
* Green Bubbles
* Moving Platforms
* Crystals
* Triggered Platforms
* Guided Platforms
* Skull Binoculars
* White Clouds

#### Eye of the Storm

* Wind
* White Clouds
* Skull Binoculars
* Pink Clouds
* Crystal Spikes
* Crystals
* Green Bubbles
* Shields
* Dash Crystals
* Shield-Activated Platforms
* Disappearing Platforms
* Falling Platforms
* Cassette Blocks

#### Golden Ridge C-Side

* Green Bubbles
* Crystals
* Skull Binoculars
* Triggered Platforms
* Crystal Spikes
* Dash Crystals
* Wind
* Pink Clouds
* Disappearing Platforms

## **Plot**

**I tried to warn you.**

This section contains spoilers for Chapter 4: Golden Ridge. Do not read the following section if you wish to avoid spoilers for Chapter 4: Golden Ridge.

After leaving Mr. Oshiro and the Celestial Hotel behind (in Chapter 3), Madeline shortly runs into the Old Woman standing in front of a small cabin. The Old Woman warns Madeline of the dangers ahead, while also assuring her that it would be all right to give up at this point; however, Madeline, determined to continue regardless, brushes her off and continues through the level.
At the end of the level, Madeline arrives at a very old and rickety-looking gondola leading over a huge and very deep ravine. Theo spots her, and meets up with her at the gondola, which the two enter and use to ascend the ravine, despite Madeline's doubts about the gondola's safety. Due to Madeline's continued worries, Theo tries to cheer Madeline up with a selfie; however, as the two gather for the selfie, Part of Madeline appears on top of the gondola, causing it to stall and thus resulting in Madeline having a panic attack.

As Madeline lashes out at Theo, Theo tries to calm her down by teaching her a coping mechanism he once learned; to imagine a feather in front of her, and that her breathing is keeping it afloat. This exercise works, and when Madeline notices what's going on again, the gondola is once again working. After the two exit the gondola at the top of the ravine, Theo breaks the thickness in the air by showing Madeline the comedic result of their selfie's interruption.
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## **Quotes**

**I tried to warn you.**

This section contains spoilers for Chapter 4: Golden Ridge. Do not read the following section if you wish to avoid spoilers for Chapter 4: Golden Ridge.

>
> Old Woman: The Mountain shows you who you really are.
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> Old Woman: Whether you're ready for it or not.
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> Theo: Madeline, you cool?
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> Madeline: Yeah...I just...
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> Madeline: No, I'm not cool.
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> Madeline: I can't breathe.
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> Theo: You're having a panic attack.
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> Madeline: Why would you think that it was a good idea to ride this stupid thing?
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> Theo: Come on, don't take this out on me.
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> Theo: Stay with me here.
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> Theo: My grandpa taught me a trick for this.
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> Theo: Close your eyes.
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> Theo: Picture a feather floating in front of you.
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> Theo: See it?
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> Theo: Okay.
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> Theo: Your breathing keeps that feather floating.
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> Theo: Just breathe slow and steady, in and out.
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>

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## **Speedrunning Record Progression**

Clear (4A):

Note: FPlush deleted his 2:22 on 23/10/2019.

## **Major Strategies**

While Celeste contains no true autoscrollers, there are many instances where the player must wait for autoscroller blocks to catch up.

In two particular rooms in 4A, however, there exist very risky strats referred to as "autoscroller skips" through which one can avoid waiting. Performing both autoscroller skips is called "double block skip".

In the 4A crystal heart room, you can do an extremely precise wall bounce to obtain the crystal heart instead of crouching down on the platform.

4B contains eyeskip, in which two ceiling spikejumps and a standard spikejump are used to complete a room without collecting the shields which are normally required.

## **Trivia**

* The gimmick used to collect the Crystal Heart is a reference to *Super Mario Bros. 3*. Large white blocks were used a few times to access hidden rooms when the player crouched on them for a few seconds, causing them to fall behind the foreground.
* The "floating feather" mini-game is based on a real-world anxiety relief technique. This technique, which involves the use of steady breathing to keep a mental feather afloat, is commonly used during meditation to relieve stress and anxiety.

## **Gallery**

Typical Golden Ridge ScreenSelfieCompletion Screen