A Difficult Game About Climbing: Everything We Know

In light of the drawn-out online counseling sessions that I had to take to well and truly “get over” Bennett Foddy’s soul-crushing indie sensation, I can just about bring myself to say that, you know what, I’d happily put myself through that torture fest all over again. As luck would have it, such a fest is already in the works, and if what the so-called A Difficult Game About Climbing (yes, that is the title) is anything like what its creators are painting it out to be, then we’re in for yet another series of tedious tidbits and tears. Great.

Getting Over It with Bennet Foddy was hands down one of the worst, albeit annoyingly addictive climbing simulation games to ever set up shop on the market. However, I will say this: A Difficult Game About Climbing could very well be in line to snatch that thorny crown from the tongue-in-cheek creator when it finally decides to grace us with its new twist on the cult classic. Until the devs iron out the details, though, we’ll have to settle for the ball-and-chain-sporting humanoid for a little while longer.

If you would like to know more about the upcoming climbing sim, then be sure to read on. Here’s everything we currently know about the aptly titled A Difficult Game About Climbing.

What Is A Difficult Game About Climbing?

It seems rather odd to have to explain exactly what it is, because the devil is in the details, and it’s clearer than ever. For argument’s sake, though, A Difficult Game About Climbing is a third-person climbing simulation game—an experimental product in which players must alternate between two buttons to control the protagonist’s arms, with which they must use to ascend a great mountain that’s absolutely loaded with obstacles and death-defying feats. Think Getting Over It with Bennet Foddy, but without the hammer, and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what it’s all about.

On paper, it sounds like a love letter to games like Jusant, which also utilizes a multi-button control system to keep players from falling to their deaths. That said, where Jusant offers a support rope to prevent you from losing progress, A Difficult Game About Climbing will feature something a little more, shall we say, unforgiving. The question is, are you patient enough to make the same mistakes several times over in order to reach the summit?

Story

If you’re hungering for a story-driven adventure, then you might be in for a bit of a surprise. From the looks of it, the game won’t feature much of a plot, other than the one relating to one person’s desperate struggle to reach the apex of a mountain for a “wonderful gift”—a treat that, judging from the game’s slapstick humor, will probably come packaged in the form of another mountain to climb. Whatever it is that idles at the summit is irrelevant, anyway, as most hikers are more than likely to rage quit long before reaching the first anchor point.

Gameplay

Gameplay in A Difficult Game About Climbing won’t be all that different to Getting Over It with Bennet Foddy, in the fact that the bulk of the experience will center itself around making small steps to reach a primary goal. As it turns out, said goal is atop the tallest peak of the tallest mountain, which means you will need to use every tool in your arsenal to reach the top and, with any luck, reap the fruits of your labor.

“Use only your mouse to control your character's hands to pull yourself up an enormous, treacherous mountain full of challenges and surprises,” the game’s desertion reads in part. “Watch out for slippery surfaces as you make your way towards the peak. Eternal glory and a wonderful gift awaits all climbers who manage to reach the top!”

Development

A Difficult Game About Climbing was first teased earlier this week over on the studio’s official steaming channel. Since then, the indie developer has released a series of in-game screenshots and a short gameplay trailer, to boot. What’s more, the team has also stapled a loose “February 2024” launch window to the IP, which essentially means we won’t have to wait all that long to hammer in that first foothold, after all.

“This game was created by one person, me (hello),” Pontypants wrote in a press release. “This game is inspired by Getting Over it with Bennett Foddy which in itself is a homage to an even older game, Sexy Hiking by Jazzuo. I was certain that Bennett's game would spawn countless of new types of games in a similar fashion that would present unique, focused and yet simple challenges. I was disappointed to see that trend not materialize fully and so took it upon myself to make this game, hoping to contribute to the spirit of a “Foddian Type” game genre.”

Trailer

If you thought the description sounded confusing, then wait till you get a load of the gameplay footage in the recent announcement trailer. You can check it out for yourself in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

A Difficult Game About Climbing will be launching on PC via Steam in “February 2024.” But as for when in the month it’ll be arriving is still unclear, as the devs have kept the final release date under wraps for the time being.

Interested in staying up to date with A Difficult Game About Climbing? If so, then be sure to check in with the team over at Pontypants for all the latest updates via their social handle here. If anything changes ahead of its 2024 debut, then we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of A Difficult Game About Climbing when it arrives on its chosen platforms? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.