Huge Mess is the second subchapter of Chapter 3: Celestial Resort in Celeste. The subchapter's gimmick is having the player go into 3 different sections of the level which each lead to a platform-rearranging button that clears the material corresponding to the button from the level. The topmost entrance leads to the platform-rearranging button for green books, the entrance below it leads to the platform-rearranging button for purple towels, and the bottommost entrance leads to the platform-rearranging button for brown boxes. Theo can be seen here trying to enter the vents at the start of the purple path. Alongside platform-rearranging buttons, this subchapter also introduces water. The Crystal Heart of Chapter 3 can be obtained in this subchapter. There is a Pico-8 machine found in the other entrance on the right side of the huge room in a secret area, which allows you to play Celeste Classic and unlock it permanently on the main menu.
Gameplay[]
The first room of the subchapter has Madeline cross a bridge of the 3 materials to talk to Mr. Oshiro once again, and then the next room is the main hub for the huge mess. Shimmer blocks return for a more noteworthy use as they block the entrances to the 3 main paths until the player goes to talk to Mr. Oshiro, who is stressing out over the clutter. Madeline then volunteers to help clean up and the shimmer blocks all disappear. After finishing an area, the player must talk to Mr. Oshiro again to remove the shimmer blocks again. The shimmer block for an area that has already been completed won't disappear.
The player is free to go to the 3 paths in any order they wish, however pressing a platform-rearranging button will change the layout of the rooms in the other paths to make some rooms easier and some rooms harder. For an order that minimizes the amount of very hard rooms, take the top (green) path first, then middle (purple), and lastly bottom (brown). This is of course just a recommendation and not the required route.
The green path has fairly simple rooms when done first. In the second room, jump and dash directly right once the moving sludge is going down and repeat this again for the second one. In the fifth room, if you already removed the purple towels, then moving yourself to right to cling onto the wall and climb up it before jumping to the left is needed.
The purple path is very safe with all materials intact, but the second room with the brown boxes already removed is made much harder and riskier, so it's best to avoid that. With the brown boxes removed, try to jump and dash right quickly as soon as the moving sludges move up. With the brown boxes, you can ignore the jump and dash right away. In the fifth room on this path, slide down the first wall and then dash right. If you have removed the green books already, then hold onto the wall and jump when the moving sludge moves up and then jump again quickly to climb the wall of purple towels. From here it's recommended to just land on top of the pillars as soon as the moving sludge gets off the floor and get to the bottom when both moving sludges on the left side are moving outward.
For the second room in the brown path (2 rooms after the room where you can see the platform-rearranging button), your dash timing must be very good. Dash right to go against when the first moving sludge goes left and then quickly jump on the ledge as the next moving sludge goes up. If the purple towels are still there, you can land on them for safety but if not then just dash right when you pass under the box attached to the ceiling. From there climb up and land on the floor above and go quickly through both moving sludges at the bottom, dashing directly downward if needed.
The Crystal Heart of this chapter can be seen underneath the normal area in the second room of the green path. In order to get the Crystal Heart, you have to find a secret area in the room with the purple towels platform-rearranging button. After hitting this button, there is a secret tunnel found by dashing up where the water is flowing down on the right. Entering this will take you back to previous parts of the section, but with purple towels now gone. Once you make it back to the first room, another secret tunnel must be uncovered which is located in a gap in the ceiling above where Theo's cutscene takes place. This tunnel usually is blocked by purple towels. After entering it, the room after spawns you right next to the Crystal Heart.
The Pico-8 machine can be unlocked by going to the third exit from the top on the right side of the main huge mess hub room. In this room is a letter to the hotel staff, and to the top-left of it is a secret tunnel which will bring you to the machine.
Strawberries[]
There are 7 Strawberries found in this subchapter.
Berry 1
The third room of the green path will have this Strawberry found hovering near dust bunnies and moving sludges. This berry is deceptively tricky and will take a bit of trial and error. Walk off the ledge at the same time the moving sludge on the right is also going down and touch the Strawberry. Then, quickly dash diagonally up-right and wall jump off the right wall to cling onto the floating platform. Do a jump straight up and either wall jump off the upper area on the right or climb up it to get to safety.
Berry 2
This berry is located in the fifth room of the green path at the bottom-right. To get it, slide down the wall and dash to the right to grab the floating platform. Climb up and jump over the top of the platform to get the Strawberry and then start climbing up the right side of the platform jump over it again and, when your hitbox is inside the dash crystal, dash straight to the left and then dash left again. Finish the room like normally from here to claim the berry.
Berry 3
This Winged Strawberry can be found protected by dust bunnies in the third room of the purple path. To get to this berry is just jumping onto each pillar when the moving sludge is moving up and holding onto the sides until the next one does the same (if green books or brown boxes still remain, those can be stood on instead of clinging to the wall). You need to do a dash at the end to cause the Winged Strawberry to fly up, then jump into it to grab it.
Berry 4
In the fifth room of the purple path is a Strawberry hiding behind some foreground water. This one is simple to get, just walk off the right side of the floating platform, dash directly left, and climb up to finish the room.
Berry 5
A right transition can be found in the second (third if counting the room shared with the platform-rearranging button's room) room of the brown path. In the room you enter is the Strawberry surrounded on all sides with sludge-spawning tiles. What you should do is climb the first pillar of boxes and dash right after jumping from the apex of your climb to land on another set of boxes. Jump and dash from there to the right again, then climb the right wall to collect the berry. When you fall below the set of boxes to the left of the berry, dash directly left to land on the part of the previously stepped on set of boxes. Jump left to the first set of boxes and dash left over the dust bunnies at the beginning to claim the Strawberry.
Berry 6
In the fifth room of the brown path, the path to the Strawberry can be seen on the left. Wall jump up the first section while dodging moving sludges and dash diagonally up-left to avoid touching as many sludge-spawning tiles as possible. Wall jump up the second section to grab the Strawberry, then dash to the right or up-right when falling back down. Then, safely exit the first section and go through the door.
Berry 7
By going back to the first room of the subchapter after pressing any of the platform-rearranging buttons, you can go below where the bridge originally covered and find a room with a Strawberry in it. Just make sure not to go in the water, as dust bunnies are there.
Gallery[]
