Climb, Fall, Repeat: The Wild World of "Getting Over It" Games!
Have you ever tried to build a tower of blocks, and just when you're about to put the last one on top, it all tumbles down? You feel a little frustrated, right? But then, what do you do? You pick up the blocks and try again! That feeling of trying, falling, and trying again is exactly what a special kind of video game is all about. These are often called "Foddian games" or rage-climbing games, and they are some of the hardest climbing games you'll ever find!
What's the Big Deal with These Games?
Imagine a guy, named Diogenes, stuck in a big metal pot, trying to climb a giant, wacky mountain. The only tool he has? A long, trusty hammer! He uses this hammer to hook onto rocks and ledges, swinging himself higher and higher. Sounds like an adventure, doesn't it? But here’s the twist: one tiny slip, one wrong move, and whoosh! You could tumble all the way back down to the very beginning. No checkpoints, no mercy!
This is the world of "Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy," a super-tricky game from 2017 that became famous for making players both laugh and scream in equal measure. It’s a physics-based climbing game that's all about trying, failing, and learning to keep going. Think of it like learning to ride a bike for the first time – you wobble, you fall, maybe you scrape a knee, but you get back up. Each fall in "Getting Over It" is a lesson, helping you understand the controls better and plan your next move.
Because so many people enjoyed (and got so hilariously frustrated by) this game, lots of other game creators decided to make their own versions. These are the "Getting Over It" copies, or what we like to call its "mean, but fun, cousins!" They all share that core idea of making you climb, fall, and then find that amazing feeling of finally reaching a new height. These are truly difficult platformers "Getting Over It" style, designed to test your patience to the max.
The Granddaddy of Grumpy Games! (A Peek into History)
So, who thought up this wonderfully frustrating adventure? A very clever game designer named Bennett Foddy! He created "Getting Over It" in 2017. But here's a fun fact: even Mr. Foddy didn't invent the idea of these kinds of rage-climbing games all on his own! He was inspired by an even older and even weirder game from way back in 2002 called "Sexy Hiking" by a designer named Jazzuo. It just goes to show that great ideas can inspire other great ideas, no matter how old they are!
Mr. Foddy actually liked making hard games even before "Getting Over It." Have you ever heard of "QWOP," where your character's legs are like wobbly spaghetti, and it's super hard to make them run? That's another one of his famous, tricky creations! He enjoys exploring how games can challenge players in new ways, sometimes even by making the controls feel a bit strange on purpose.
"Getting Over It" became super famous very quickly, and a big reason for that was something you might know about: streamers and YouTubers! People loved watching their favorite internet stars try to beat the game, often screaming, raging, and then bursting into cheers when they finally made a difficult climb. This "schadenfreude" – which means enjoying watching others struggle (in a fun, harmless way, of course!) – made the game a cultural phenomenon and spread the word about this new kind of challenging fun.
Meet the "Mean Cousins"! (The Top Tricky Games)
After the huge success of "Getting Over It," many other games like "Getting Over It" started to appear, following in its giant, slippery footsteps! These are like its brothers and sisters, each with their own special way to make you climb, fall, and learn a whole new set of skills. Let's look at some of the best "Getting Over It" alternatives and best "Getting Over It" clones.
- Jump King: Forget a hammer, here you just jump! But every jump has to be absolutely perfect. The length of your jump depends on how long you hold down the jump button. Hold it too long, or not long enough, and BAM! You're plummeting back to the bottom, sometimes losing hours of progress. Players often say "Jump King" is even harder than the original, demanding incredible precision, but it feels incredibly rewarding when you finally nail a tough jump. The goal? A "Hot Babe" waiting at the top, adding a funny, absurd touch.
- Only Up!: Imagine climbing a crazy, giant tower made of all sorts of random, floating objects – from train tracks to giant donuts! The physics in "Only Up!" game can feel a bit "floaty" or "slippery," making precise movement a challenge. While falls are still gigantic and can send you very far down, a slight difference from "Getting Over It" is that you don't always fall all the way to the very start. Some players found this a little less brutal, but it still requires immense patience and focus. This game became very popular with streamers too!
- A Difficult Game About Climbing: This is a much newer game, released in 2024, made by a super fan of "Getting Over It" called Pontypants. It's a direct shout-out to the original physics-based climbing games, and even Bennett Foddy himself played it and said it was fun! The developer really wanted to bring back that specific kind of learning-curve frustration, like when you're learning how to ride a bike, where every fall teaches you something important. It's a great example of how developers can be inspired and add their own creative spark.
- Pogostuck: Rage With Your Friends: Ever tried climbing a mountain on a pogo stick? This game lets you! "Pogostuck" is another one of these challenging games that gained traction on streaming platforms. It requires incredible skill and reflexes to master the bouncy pogo stick controls. Plus, you can even play with friends and laugh (or cry) as you all struggle together to conquer the mountain.
- Mobile Clones (Hammer Man, Climy Hammer, etc.): When "Getting Over It" became a sensation, lots of games quickly popped up on phones that looked exactly like it. Titles like "Hammer Man" or "Climy Hammer" tried to replicate the experience for mobile players. While some of these were decent, many were just quick copies, often with clunky controls or not much new fun to offer. People have different feelings about these "Getting Over It" clones – are they helpful for people who can't play the original, or are they just trying to make a quick buck without much originality? It's a tricky question!
Overall, players have a total "love-hate" relationship with these frustrating climbing games. They'll yell, they'll get super mad, but they keep coming back because that feeling of finally reaching the top, after so much effort and so many falls, is just the best! It’s an incredible sense of accomplishment that few other games can deliver.
Is Copying Bad? (Game Debates!)
Here’s a tricky question that many people in the gaming world think about: Is it fair that so many games are like "Getting Over It," or other famous games?
Copying Ideas: Some people believe it's not very nice to just copy another game's main idea. It’s like if your friend draws a super cool robot, and you draw the exact same robot and tell everyone you thought of it first. This is called game cloning, and while it's generally okay to be inspired by a game, simply copying it without adding anything new can sometimes feel a bit unfair to the original creator.
The Original Guy's Thoughts: What does Bennett Foddy, the creator of "Getting Over It," think about all these "Getting Over It" copies? He actually says it's mostly okay! He believes that game makers often borrow ideas from each other, just like musicians might borrow a cool beat or a style of music. He even shared that his idea for "Getting Over It" came from that older game, "Sexy Hiking," which he found online. He knows that ideas can't be copyrighted, only the specific art or code.
Good Copies vs. Not-So-Good Copies: There's a big difference between being inspired by something and just doing a cheap, low-effort copy. The best "cousin" games, like "Jump King" or "A Difficult Game About Climbing", add new, fun twists and challenge you in slightly different ways. They take the core idea of challenging climbing and make it their own. But other clones might be poorly made or not add anything new or interesting, and those are the ones that often get criticized for being simple "cash-grabs."
Too Hard?! Another debate around these difficult platformers "Getting Over It" style is whether they are simply too hard. Some players just get super mad at these games! They might think they're unfair or not fun at all. They prefer games with lots of checkpoints and easier progress. But sometimes, making you feel frustrated is exactly what the game designers wanted to do! They want to challenge you, to push your limits, and to make that final triumph feel even more amazing because of the struggle. It’s a very specific kind of fun, and it's not for everyone, but it has a dedicated fanbase.
What's Next for the Super Hard Games? (Future Fun!)
Are these frustrating but fantastic Foddian games going away anytime soon? No way! People still love a good challenge, and they love watching their friends (or favorite streamers) struggle and eventually succeed. The feeling of perseverance, of finally achieving something really difficult, is a powerful one.
- New, Wild Ideas: Game creators will keep inventing new ways to make us climb, fall, and try again. Maybe we'll see challenges with crazy new tools beyond a hammer or a pogo stick, in weird underwater worlds, or even high up in space! The possibilities for unique control schemes and diverse environments are endless.
- Playing Together? Some games already let you play with friends, like "Pogostuck." Perhaps we'll see even more rage-climbing games where we can all suffer (or celebrate!) our climbs together, maybe even trying to race to the top! Imagine the chaos and laughter!
- Robot Game Makers? What if smart computers, called AI, start helping make these games? They could create even weirder and harder levels than humans can imagine! But we hope that game designers, with all their creativity and unique ideas, still get to be super important in making these fun and challenging experiences. After all, the human touch often makes games special.
The big hope for the future is not just more simple copies, but new and clever physics-based climbing games that keep that awesome feeling of trying, trying, and finally, finally, making it to the very top! These hardest climbing games are here to stay, continuing to challenge and delight players for years to come.
Blog Post Labels:
Foddian games, rage-climbing, Getting Over It, physics-based climbing, difficult platformers, Jump King, Only Up!, challenging games, game design, streaming
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Ever rage-quit? Dive into "Getting Over It" & Foddian games, the ultimate test of patience. Discover top alternatives & why players keep climbing.