Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy

Part game part internet phenomenon, Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy is surely a game that you have heard of! This is a game that took YouTube and Twitch by storm! Bennett Foddy is a very clever man and this game is something that he is sure to be remembered for forever.

Hello, I Am Diogenes!

There is a story behind Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, but it is super weird. You play as a man called Diogenes who is stuck in a pot and needs to make his way up a mountain with the use of a big ass hammer. That is pretty much the point to the game. From what I understand there is some clever tie with a Greek myth, but that is way above what I know.

The basics are, you are at the bottom of the mountain and you need to get as close to the summit as you possibly can.

Frustrating, Annoying, But I Want One More Go!

Make no mistake about it Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy is one of the most frustrating games that you will ever play! You control the game by using his hammer to grip and propel him up the mountain. It is the kind of thing that sounds very, very easy. However, it is anything but. You will fail, fail, and probably fail a million more times. There are no checkpoints so sometimes you get lucky and will just fall a little bit. Other times you can end up nearly all the way back at the start.

One thing that is funny is that Bennett Foddy himself is commentating the whole time that you are playing the game. I am not sure what the point of this is, but it makes you think, makes you mad and even makes you laugh on occasion. There is not a great deal to the gameplay and in my opinion, there is not a ton of skill required, but there is just something so very addictive about it.

A Sense Of Community

Part of what has made Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy such a big hit is the community around it. Watching your favorite internet personalities freak out and get mad is funny. I find that this is the kind of game that is at it most fun when you can play with a friend watching and you guys can take turns seeing who can get the furthest and laughing at each other’s misfortune. In this regard, I think that Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy is a great “party” kind of game, but not for the same reasons a game like Mario Kart, Call of Duty or Super Smash Bros. is!

This is a very interesting game and one that is well worth trying out. I am not saying that Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy is a masterpiece or anything like that. However, I do think what he has done here is very clever and it is worth checking out, especially if you can play with friends.

6/10

Pros:

• It is an internet phenomenon
• Great to play with friends
• You can make funny videos of yourself playing it
• The game is easy to start to play
• You feel like a boss if you can beat it

Cons:

• Very, very frustrating
• Not even sure what the point of this is

I recently went back and played Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy and I wanted to share my thoughts on it with you guys. I will admit that back when this initially showed up (which is crazy to think was a few years ago at this point) I only played the game because of the internet hype this game was getting for being frustratingly difficult and hilarious. I feel that the game is very interesting and in going back to it, I can appreciate more what the developer was trying to do.

What The Pot?

One of the more surprising aspects of Getting Over It with Bennet Foddy is that the developer, Mr. Foddy himself came up with a lore to this game. Basically, it is about this weird dude called Diogenes and he has somehow got stuck in a pot and he needs to make his way up this big ass mountain…. Yeah, it is super weird and I have no idea what the whole “Greek” thing with the story is, but just know you are a strange dude that wants to get up a mountain.

Fits Of Anger And Laughter

A huge reason why Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy caught on the way it did was Twitch and YouTube streamers losing their crap over the difficulty of the game. You need to propel yourself up the mountain with this pickaxe and it is much easier said than done. This is way easier said than done and it is all physics based. You need to fling yourself up the mountain and hope that you land on a relatively flat bit so that you can do it again. Now, the frustration comes in the form of you rolling back down the mountain! This happens more often than not and with no checkpoints, you can easily end up back at the bottom!

The Mind Of Bennett Foddy!

There is one part of this game that I think is hilarious and that is the voice track that plays while you are trying to get up the mountain. Bennet Foddy recorded all this dialogue that kind of serves as a commentary. Some of the stuff he says is hilarious and other stuff is random and then he can even get you frustrated. It is the kind of thing that sounds like it is not a big deal, but it adds more to the game than you would think.

It Started Off Innocent

Look, I watch YouTube and Twitch as much as the next guy, but Getting Over It with Bennet Foddy is a huge example of something I hate about video game streaming. It started off all fun and seeing people get legit frustrated and angry was hilarious. Then when the game blew up, we got all these streamers that would play the game and do these “fake” reactions to it that were completely exaggerated and this is something that we still have to this day and I hate it! Fake reaction videos where streamers force their reactions are the worst thing in video game streaming in my opinion!

Pros:

• I like some of the early streaming videos of people playing this game
• Bennett Foddy is a pretty funny dude
• The commentary track is a nice touch
• It can be fun to play this with your friends so you can get mad together!

Cons:

• I hate and I mean hate these fake reaction streaming videos this game spawned!
• There is no real substance to the game at all

Can we ask something? What is up with these games that are so difficult it's almost like flaying yourself? For some reason, gamers have taken to the extreme challenge of minimal controls and unpredictable physics in their gameplay. Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy is one of those games - as addictive as it is frustrating.

To say this game is obnoxious is an understatement. Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy punishes failure with a complete restart of whatever you were doing. The fury this game causes has been well-documented by critics across the global spectrum. Somehow, people are loving this unbridled rage it's creating. We'll have to discover why.

Ain't No Mountain Weird Enough

There are just some things that are hard to explain in video games. Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy is one of them. The concept revolves around a character that inexplicably resides in a large metal cauldron. He also uses a sledgehammer to move around. Aren't there are better ways to travel places? Nope, that would make things too easy.

Because of that oddity behind the protagonist, the core objective of climbing a mountain of random objects becomes all the more challenging. Players have to use mouse movements to control the swing of the hammer and climb. Honestly, there isn't a more inefficient control mechanism, but that's the whole point.

Unless you are a master at physics-based games, there's no way you will succeed on your first attempt at climbing this mountain. The odd obstacles and angles of the environment will force players to fall and start right from the beginning again - no checkpoints and no saves. The question remains of how many times you are willing to attempt this hike to the top.

Most people will give this game the time of day, though. Once you understand how to overcome a specific obstacle, it's all a learning experience to get to the top. Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy is as satisfying as it is annoying, and that's what makes it quite the decent effort. It's certainly a journey, and you'll feel a sense of achievement by the lack of handholding in the game.

An Infuriating Fall From Grace

Understandably, Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy saw a public comparison to QWOP, given the similar frustrating yet addictive stature. The game definitely built a cult around it as players continued to challenge themselves in overcoming its difficulty. However, the vital question remains, is Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy a good game?

Pros:

• Well-designed indie that accomplishes what it wants to achieve
• Elementary mechanics give players a liberal approach to gameplay
• It's an homage to challenging games of past

Cons:

• The lack of checkpoints and saves will put off some players
• The rage this game causes