Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy Review (PC)

It has been a little over eight years since I last saw Bennett. And no, I am not, in fact, over it. The reason why I’m returning to write this review on Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy just shy of a decade after its initial release on PC is simple: I have, after countless stomach-churning attempts and thousands of blood-curdling tears, amounted to that one ever-elusive feat of making it to the summit. Well, technically it hasn’t take eight years — but it might as well have been. Internally, it feels like a lot longer. In some ways, it feels as if I never got over it, to begin with. Yet, I’m here to tell the tale, and with that tale, a message of hope for those who’ve yet to conquer the apex.

I’d love to say that it’s a pleasant journey, or that it’s a blessing in disguise—a quilted experience that, while not overly sweet in complexion, has a certain appeal to it. The truth is, though, that Getting Over It is about as lovable and as comforting as a wet bread knife. And frankly, it is a knife; it’s a piercing experience that adores the mere thought of being able to drive a hole into your chest and zigzag it around. I say that with love, mind you, because truly, Getting Over It is, in spite of all its shortcomings, a genuinely entertaining game. It doesn’t always go both ways, and I’m still convinced that Bennett hates us for no reason whatsoever, but even with all of that, it still flaunts an oddly enjoyable romp of an experience.

Of course, I almost wish I could say that Getting Over It has a hidden meaning to it, or that it carries an emotional message like an iron cross in its fist. But the bitter reality here is that, contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t have anything of the sort in its arsenal. It is, for lack of a better description, a game about pushing an incompetent fool up a cliff. That’s it. And yes, it is still regarded as one of the most influential indie games on Steam of all time. Don’t ask me why. Call it Stockholm syndrome, I guess.

We’re Still Not Over It, Bennett

If you’re unfamiliar with Getting Over It, then I can only assume that you’ve been living under a rock for just under of a decade or so, or that you’ve chosen to retain whatever sanity you have left to prevent a drastic spill from subjecting yourself to it. Whatever the case, I almost feel the need to applaud you. Strangely, I almost envy you. If I were you, in fact, then I would personally click out of this review and wipe the name Bennett from your memory. At this point, I feel like I’d be doing you a favor.

Still here? Well, in that case, we might as well press on.

Getting Over It is a simple game. It’s so simple, in fact, that the only thing that you have to do in order to beat it is climb the side of a cliff. The cliff in question, however, isn’t an ordinary feat; it’s a relentlessly brutal vertical formation that, frustratingly, has more grooves and jagged peaks than a space rock that has been hit with an ironing board. The idea, though, is as simple as they come: swing a big ol’ hammer this way and that, and gradually shove the incompetent rag doll up the side of the mountain. Oh, and did I forget to mention that you have to restart from scratch if you make one small mistake? Yep — that’s also a thing.

Impossible Feats, Incompetent Hero

I’d like to think that Getting Over It is the epitome of a classic rage game—a poster child for a genre that we both love to hate but also can’t refrain from coming back to to scratch an itch. It’s the same case here, despite the fact that Getting Over It is, in all honesty, one of the most sweat-inducing flash feats of all time. It’s one of those sorts of games where you click out in a fit of rage, and then return a few moments later to give it “one more shot.” It’s a positively hatable journey that nobody really likes, but one that we annoyingly love to torture ourselves with, if only for the sake of being able to take a closer peek at that next anchor point.

The mechanics are all too simple here, but, true to the nature of rage games, simple mechanics do not often equate to a classically forgiving experience. As per the norm, one wrong move or miscalculation often leads to a heart-breaking fall, and so on and so forth. And that applies to most of the journey — you climb, and you fall. It’s finding the patience to do it all over again that’s the tough part.

I’d love to say that there’s a huge payout at the apex of the iconic cliff side, but honestly, there isn’t. No, what awaits you at the summit are eternal bragging rights and that all-important opportunity to flex your ego — for whatever that’s worth. Is it worth it? You tell me. I’m still seeing a therapist.

Verdict

Nobody ever got over it, Bennett. Eight years, and I’m still not over it, Bennett. Yet, I just so happen to be here, again, subjecting myself to the same mindless torment as before, hoping that a hiatus was all that I needed in order to crack the code and ascend the feat. I’m not sure what it is, or even why I’m here — but I am here, and I think that speaks volumes about a lot of things…my love of disappointment and failure, being two of said things, I think.

If you haven’t played Getting Over It before, then I’d consider that a massive win that you ought to be proud of. Having said that, if you are interested in putting yourself through hell (and you happen to share an unusual love of rage games), then I bid you farewell and good fortune. If you’d rather save a few hairs on your scalp, however, then I’d personally give this feat a wide berth. Thank me later.