It’s a really well-done piece that I recommend to anyone with an interest in this weird indie game in a way that’s more than the laughs of watching someone suffer from deep frustration. One of the best essays I’ve seen on Getting Over It is from Between the Pixels, who talks about that hidden reward not being the end goal. This created a moment of what looks like absolute joy in a man who had been driven to primal outlash. Markiplier, after almost 30 hours of playtime finally reached the top. Seeing someone finally best the mountain that has caused them such grief is also satisfying. It’s why the monotonous task of mowing the grass is a way to relax for some, because looking behind that mower or weedeater shows tangible evidence of the work done. That said it’s obvious that reaching new heights and then looking down to see what has been accomplished is something that is inherently rewarding. I won’t spoil the final reward, even though I looked it up with burning curiosity without first attempting it myself, meaning my appreciation for it has been lessened. There is also the approach to Getting Over It about the journey being the reward in itself. Yet, there’s that promise of a reward and the thought to beating something so many have struggled to even get halfway through. Getting Over It can be connected, as the player has a tendency to slip down the mountain, in fact it’s designed in a way that those chutes usually flow into each other for maximum rage. Upon reaching the top, he would always fall with the only option to start again. Seeing this game played (as I have yet to try it out for myself) I’m immediately reminded of the myth of Sisyphus, a man that was damned to perpetually push a boulder up a slippery hill.
He talks about cobbled together assets to make something else, the expectations of modern players who seek only a tickle of feeling, and then there’s the whole piece about the act of climbing itself. Occasionally, he will talk about game design and the inspiration for Getting Over It, a crude 2002 indie title called Sexy Climbing. While the mechanics of climbing and falling are where most of the anger comes from, there is also some insightful dialogue spoken throughout by the game’s narrator, presumably Bennett Foddy himself.Īfter a big failure or just periodically through the game, the narrator chimes in with quotes about temperance from Abraham Lincoln or cues up some smooth jazz. Getting Over It insights an emotional response through a couple ways. Yet, there is something more here: a metaphor for life’s challenges, an open challenge with promise of reward, a commentary on the state of video games, a somber moment of reflection on accomplishments. This has given it the common comparison to the gut-wrenchingly difficult Dark Souls games. I’m sure most of those who have played it won’t soon forget that feeling of slipping down the mountain, watching hours of progress fade away, only to make the choice of either quit or try again. Sure, the Steam’s store description reads that it was made to hurt people and it has undoubtedly done that. Other popular gamers on YouTube like Pewdiepie, Jacksepticeye, and Vinesauce (just to name a few) are being ripped and shredded by this climbing game starring a man with a hammer who’s stuck in a cauldron. Markiplier, a man of usual patience was broken down over this game more than any other game has done in the past. Getting Over It is a game that has torn apart players across the internet.
These are games that have a seemingly simple goal, but make the way of getting there go against general game design constructs or are designed in a way that make failure painful.
#I am bread game markiplier simulator#
Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy is a unique title and if it had to fit in any genre, it would come up in the same conversations as Surgeon Simulator or I am Bread. As an art form there is an extremely wide range of expression possible, but developers have a tendency to play in genres, sometimes loose formulas that helps make some games more accessible because of that comparison.