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App Army Assemble: Getting Over It - Unnecessarily frustrating or strangely endearing?

It's time for our App Army to chime in

App Army Assemble: Getting Over It - Unnecessarily frustrating or strangely endearing?
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| Getting Over It

Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy isn't one for the weak of heart or patience. No, when something's designed specifically to make you mad it's another field altogether.

In the game you'll play as a man in a pot and have to clamber over all sorts of obstacles with only a hammer and your limitless determination. That being said, it's harder than it looks and will probably crush your spirit.

What did our App Army think? Let's take a look.

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Jim Linford (iPhone 7)

I've started playing this on a train into work and so far the level of frustration with the game is less than I experience with the train's actual service. I play as a guy in an iron pot with a sledgehammer as his only means of propulsion. Why is he using this method and what is his motivation? His only noises are random grunts, though there's also jazz elevator music and a voice with an Australian accent.

I'm still climbing up up a hill and trying to pass obstacles on my way, towards what I don't know. Using my sledgehammer to grip onto things. This game is bonkers and I kind-of like it so far. It reminds me of QWOP and the frustration is from the control system more than anything. This is like the Dark Souls of climbing games

Roman Valerio (iPad Air, iOS 11.3)

"No pain, no gain" is the ultimate motto of my whole life and, oh boy, how much this game made me suffer and feel hurt once more.

It should be noted that this is all weird at best and rather ingenious at the same time. Are you willing to share the fate of Sisyphus, the genuine symbol of martyrdom? Would you like to feel such an excruciating emotional pain that all you are left to do is curl up into a ball and suck your thumb? Do you want to torture yourself by fully embracing your inner benign masochist? Should you answer 'yes' to at least one of these questions, then GOI is all you need.

Every aspect of this nerve-wrecker speaks quality and, to a great extent, a thought-out approach to game design. The script, narrated by a professional voice actor, is very well-written and (with its plentiful snide remarks) manages to elevate your mental pain to an unprecedented new level.

I found poor guy's labored moans and groans absolutely hilarious, which reminds me of myself trying to get out of bed after a night out with too many beers involved. In a nutshell, Getting Over It is pretty much about getting over your inner fears and doubts.

Ed Davis (iPhone 7)

A short temper and Getting Over It make for a broken phone. This is probably one of the most infuriating games I've played in a while.

You play a man in a cauldron with some kind of giant hammer, attempting to climb around the scenery. The controls are simple, but I would advise turning up the sensitivity and taking the game slightly slower to help overcome some of the more challenging obstacles.

The developer narration adds to the weird humour of the game and, overall, makes for an oddly addictive experience.

Mark Abukoff (iPhone 7)

It's funny, but this masochistic experience has helped me to get over a rotten week at work because there's nothing as frustrating as what this poor guy is going through. So, I know that someone is having a worse time than I am - and I’m the one putting him through his painful paces.

It's got sharp, clean graphics, very simple mechanics, and easy controls once I figured out what I was doing. I definitely suggest you turn up the sensitivity a little. This experience is pretty unique and challenging enough to be fun right until you feel the urge to throw your phone against the wall.

The further you progress, the more interesting it gets, but like work, 'more interesting' ultimately means more painful and frustrating too. Enjoy, but remember it's not your phone’s fault.

Dries Pretorius (iPad Air)

When all you have is a hammer and a pot, everything looks like a mountain. I remember my fourth attempt at a driver's licence, I had woken up at 4 AM and drove 240km to the testing facility. I'd remained optimistic since I'd practiced hard that week. The test was almost over, I could feel excitement rising in my chest, then I made a mistake and was promptly failed. Sitting in the parking lot afterwards I experienced hopelessness, anger, frustration, and a sense of futility. Then I pulled myself together and prepared myself for a fifth attempt.

That is Getting Over It in a nutshell.

There's a strength in hammering away relentlessly at futility, in investing so much, seeing it all come to nothing, and reinvesting, again and again. Getting Over It can give you this complete emotional experience in a virtual setting. It's more than a game, it's a poetic simulation of human struggle, and an interactive philosophical meditation.

I hate Getting Over It and I love it. I'm compelled to return to it, compelled to keep trying, because maybe I'll get one step further this time. It's a great game. You'll hate how much you love it and love how much you hate it.

Paul Manchester (iPhone SE)

This is clear, simple, and deeply frustrating. For me personally the reward/rate of progression doesn't justify the effort required to overcome the more difficult sections, therefore I had seen enough in the first hour or so.

Nothing really compelled me to return after that. Tackling one challenge would inevitably just lead to another just as difficult to conquer. Its controls were okay for a mobile touch screen game so, at the very least, they can't be held fully accountable for any frustration. Good luck to the garden souls who plug away, but not for me thanks!

Leonidas Konstantopoulos (iPhone SE)

Getting Over It is an 'unfinished' game by today's standards. By that I mean the mechanics don't fully click with the environment. In this platformer, you'll be asked to overcome ridiculous stacks of objects utilizing nothing but a hammer. At first you’ll think that progress in this world comes randomly, repeating maneuvers until they somehow turn in your favor. So, in such silly fashion you'll wave goodbye to the first area, after which the game's unforgiving nature unfolds.

On your way to the top you alternate between 'safe zones' and 'danger zones', the latter meaning that falling resets progress. In order to succeed you must learn the map in its fullest detail, abusing shortcuts and perfecting every possible jump and grab. Luckily, the excellent touch controls (complete with a sensitivity slider) barge in to save the day. Adding the option for a solid 60FPS, the game leaves only yourself to blame for a probable long series of awful runs.

Every once in a while, a jazzy soundtrack is used to comment on your failure along with a narration of sorts by the developer, but I won't spoil it here. Overall, the game transcends its simple cover and manages to wrap itself in a nice allegory. It never angered me too much and I can totally recommend it.

Robert Murphy (LG G6)

Finding out that this game was from the same mind that brought us QWOP was not surprising. A game where days were wasted trying to do anything other than falling backwards at the starting line.

Getting Over It is equally as frustrating, but far more complete of an experience. Here you control a half naked man in a cauldron who attempts to traverse an extremely littered mountain using only a hammer to propel himself along.
Accompanied by the creator Bennett Foddy's sarcastic commentary and selected jazz snippets you realise that this games true purpose is to prepare you for the never-ending cycle of minor accomplishments and massive disasters that is life.

I should admit at this stage that I'm terrible at this game. The farthest I've gotten in two days of playing is maybe a quarter of the way up and that's considered the easy part. Turning the touch sensitivity all the way up has helped, but my hand is starting to cramp from drawing out concentric circles. I'll keep playing though because those minor accomplishments are really worth it.

In Summary: I hate it - 4.5 stars out of 5.

Steve Clarke

Getting Over It is an odd game. Its sole purpose is to frustrate players to the point of tears so they feel true satisfaction should they ever beat it. That's what the philosophically-themed narration tells me anyway.

Personally, I found the controls to be my biggest obstacle to success. Set the sensitivity too low and you lack the speed to position your hammer in time, too high and you lose precision. I found myself fiddling with the settings depending on the situation, adding an unneeded irritation to an already frustrating game. I imagine things handle a lot better if you play it on PC.

The developer says he made this game for a certain kind of person, but on an iPhone that person isn't me.

Funem (Samsung Galaxy S8+)

Getting over it is a strange game with a strange premise, but has a different meaning and reason to exist than you think. I would say it's a rare game in that the type of person you are can impact on how you react to the game. If you get frustrated easily, this will only further frustrate you, if on the other hand you are pretty laid back, you will appreciate the message it is really trying to make.

You will fail and fail repeatedly, and in failing your progress can be set back quite a distance, especially if your current destination is more vertical than horizontal.

Most will see this game as an exercise in frustration. I'm going out on a limb here and say it's an exercise in handling frustration as it even speaks about this as you play it. The narrator speaks about having to repeat things to get it right, taking a break and attacking your problems again, and accepting failure as part of the process. It's life in a nutshell.

If this game was easy there would be no real message for it and it would be another Flappy Bird-type game. With an open mind the game plays well. When you feel frustration creep in, and you will, take a step back, stop, think, and then carry on or take a break. As long as you can keep calm YOU are progressing more than your character does in the game. Graphically the game is good, the sound and narration are well done, and personally I would recommend giving it a go. Just make sure you phone has a decent case on it if you get easily frustrated by hard games.

Oksana Ryan (iPad Pro)

This game defies genre. I have never come across a game quite like this before that has had me closing the game out of total frustration and almost instantaneously opening it again because I wanted to continue the up-hill struggle.

The game is unbearably challenging. It's easy to use the controls, but the man in the cauldron just won't go where you want him to, and if he does you can bet he'll fall down after you've taken him to the highest ledge, forcing you to start over. At this point the narrator will spout some sort of zen advice which grates on your nerves and gives you the urge to throw your mobile device out of the nearest window.

I think this game is quite unique in its gamepla, it's a refreshing change from all the other games being offered at the moment, and definitely worth a go. One recommendation though - a heavy duty shock resistant case for your mobile device.

Armaan Modi (Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro)

This is a funny, frustrating, and fun game as the goal is to climb the hill using a hammer. After playing for more than 20 minutes, I still couldn't get a hang of the controls so I wish there was a tutorial, albeit a very small one.

The narration in this game is done nicely and the graphics are good. The default setting was 'Standard' but I was able to play on 'Beautiful' setting as well. I definitely recommend this game because it's addictive. The good thing about this is that it is not a high score chaser - there is a finite goal.

Quincy Jones (iPhone 8 Plus)

I'm over it!

This is an extremely frustrating game by a developer that seems to want you to destroy your phones (Otterbox Defender money well spent). I paid a lot for mine so after 30 minutes I was done.

There's no fun to be had here, just fleeting moments of satisfaction followed by failures and frustration.

Emmanuel Tin (iPhone 6 Plus)

In many games, climbing mechanics are just about choosing a direction and the game will do the rest. This game teaches you that climbing is not as easy as walking, especially if you have no legs.

You can move your hammer all around you in this physics-based 2D platformer. Though, the hammer can pull you in a direction or accidentally push you to the opposite direction.

The philosophy of the game is to try again after you've fallen, as the narrator reminds you. He marks your progression or your failure by quote, by playing old songs, or just simply try to cheer you up. In fact, it depends on your personnality whether you get angrier or not.

Rohit Bhatia (Nexus 5x)

I thought this game would be similar to QWOP and would be hard as nails, but it's on a whole new level. I have never tried a game like this before, and after playing for an hour and I was on the same location. Once I got hang of the controls I was good to just pass that location and after more half an hour I crossed Devil's Chimney.

The art is well done and there is little bit of developer talking to us, hurting us and telling us that we are not good at the game. I was laughing when he talked to me. It was frustrating to continue, but thank god I didn't throw my phone (once slammed it onto my bed).

The game is very addictive. If you fall, you'll try again and again until you get to new point. If you have the patience, please try this game. You'll get your money's worth, but don't try if you aren't patient or you'll be paying for a new phone very soon.

Iain McCreton (Samsung S7 Edge)

I'm surprised by how much I'm enjoying this game. I've never played the PC version, but watched plenty of YouTube videos of it. When I heard it was coming to mobile I thought it was an awful idea and it would be unplayable, but it works surprisingly well.

I found it most playable with the sensitivity turned all the way up and the annoying 'try hard' commentary turned off. I recommend it, but maybe only on sale as it seems a bit expensive.

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Emily Sowden
Emily Sowden
Emily is Pocket Gamer's News Editor and writes about all kinds of game-related things. She needs coffee to function and begrudgingly loves her Switch more than she lets on.