A Test of Patience
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy is an adventure game created by Bennett Foddy. The adventure game has a unique physics-based mechanics with very awkward controls. It can take a lot of hours of gameplay to reach the very elusive end.
The Mind Behind Frustrating Games
Bennet Foddy is known for developing frustrating but novel indie games such as QWOP, GRIP, CLOP, Poleriders, Bennett Foddy's Speed Chess, Zebra, and Ape Out. Unlike conventional video games in the market that attempts to be very accessible for beginners, his works have the ongoing theme of reward-punishment cycles as well as the topic of addiction. His main inspiration was the classic arcade games with difficult controls while attempting to emulate the emotions they evoke like tension. Most of his games were praised for their difficult and unorthodox controls but a rewarding outcome. Foddy also believes that there is excitement behind games with unorthodox rules despite the risks and frustrations.
Learning From Failure
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy is a love letter to a classic indie game Sexy Hiking by Jazzuo. Sexy Hiking only featured four levels to complete. The physics is similar and players can only use a hammer to move upwards. Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy retains the core mechanics of Sexy Hiker. Players take the role of a man stuck in a large pot. They cannot move or jump with conventional directional buttons. They only have a very long hammer as a means of movement. The hammer can be rotated with only the mouse. Players can eventually perform maneuvers like powerful swings, hopping like a pogo stick, wide jumps and even making giant leaps. It will take a lot of practice and precise rotation to do those advanced moves.
A Reward Awaits Beyond Pain
The adventure game features bizarre, surreal and outlandish locations. Players will start at the base camp. Eventually, they will explore flimsy man-made infrastructures, higher peaks and more unimaginable places that should not exist in an actual mountain. Every time the player progresses, Foddy would narrate philosophical observations for them to ponder. The quotes can also serve either as a tip or taunt, depending on the player’s disposition. This game’s main punishing feature is the lack of checkpoints. Anyone making a mistake or slips off from a ledge will fall straight down back to start. A jeering but playful tune will play that will accompany with the current situation. Players can expect repeated frustration and losing all progress. On the other hand, anyone who successfully reaches the top of the mountain or the end goal will receive a reward that only a few deserves. This is ideal for Let’s Play or streaming at Twitch.
Moving Along From Anger
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy emphasizes substance over style. Most game journalists would cry foul whenever a new game is too punishing. Some might dismiss this game as a novel concept but what matters is the journey within. Players will gain a new insight such as the pains of failure, life is unfair and hard work will eventually bear fruit. Completing a difficult game is truly an achievement and an artistic experience for those who have carried on.
