The Nintendo Switch Online service offers a few things beyond letting its subscribers visit one another's islands in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, such as playing NES and SNES games or other (originally) exclusive titles like Tetris 99. Nintendo reset its 7-day free trial for the online service at the beginning of the month, and in Japan it has been offering subscribers free limited-time releases — with Matt Thorson's indie darling Celeste being its newest addition.
Japanese Switch players will be able to play Celeste for free from 12:00 p.m. on May 18 to 6:00 p.m. on May 24, and during the promotion period the game will be 50 percent off to purchase. Previously offered through the service were another hit indie game, the roguelike Dead Cells, and the Dynasty Warriors-styled crossover Fire Emblem Warriors.
When Celeste first released in 2018 it was immediately beloved as a rewardingly challenging platform with a touching story. Since then DLC has been released that creator Thorson described as having its "hardest levels in difficulty" for fans of the title.
The Epic Games Store made Celeste free in December 2019 to help "combat anxiety" during the Holiday season.
Celeste is available now on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Sources: Nintendo of Japan