Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy

Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy is a notoriously difficult climbing game that strips platforming down to its rawest form: a man stuck in a cauldron, armed with nothing but a large sledgehammer, trying to climb an enormous mountain built from junk, pottery, and industrial debris. Every movement is controlled entirely with the mouse, swinging the hammer to hook onto ledges and push the character upward, which means momentum, angle, and patience matter far more than reflexes. There is no checkpoint system in the traditional sense — a single mistimed swing can send a player sliding back down dozens of minutes of hard-earned progress, and the game's narrator calmly reflects on failure and frustration as it happens. This unforgiving design has turned it into one of the most infamous rage-inducing games ever made, as much a test of emotional composure as of physical dexterity with the hammer. Despite the punishing difficulty, reaching new heights after a difficult climb delivers an unmatched sense of accomplishment. Players drawn to this style of momentum-based climbing frustration will also want to try Get On Top, a physics-based climbing brawler with a similarly chaotic sense of balance.