Everyone should try “Tsubo-o” at least once in “Getting Over It+” (Start Today, Apple Arcade #12)

“Apple Arcade'' is a game subscription service offered by Apple for iPhone/iPad/Mac/Apple TV devices for 900 yen per month (tax included) / 6,000 yen per year (tax included).
In this series, we'll be featuring titles selected by 4Gamer from the service, which currently offers over 200 titles that can be played without ads or in-game purchases.

In Part 12, we will present to you the game “Getting Over It+” developed by Bennett Foddy.

「Overcome it+」

Release Date: May 4, 2023
Distributor: Bennett Foddy
Developer: Bennett Foddy
Compatible Devices: iPhone / iPad / iPod touch / Apple Vision
Compatible Gamepad: ◯

Recommended points
1. Simple but unique gameplay
2. “Old Man in a Cauldron” is an amazing piece of art that you will never forget once you see it.
3. Very difficult level

Although I have written down three recommended points, I feel it is a bit wrong to say 100% positively about this work, saying: “I recommend it because it is interesting!” Of course, there is no doubt that this is a work that everyone should play at least once. However, this game is designed in such a way that it is difficult to feel the joy that a typical game provides to the player.
It is necessary to clarify at the beginning that I am deliberately recommending this work, which is “frankly, a nuisance”. By the way, the official text published on the App Store says:

For a specific person
A game was born.

To hurt a specific person.

When this work was first announced in Humble Monthly magazine in 2017, it received a great response from gamers around the world, and the game distribution became popular in Japan as well. Even now, there are probably many people who say: “I've never played the game, but I know the main character.”
I think the main reason the game is “somewhat recognizable even if you haven't played it” is that the main character is an old man with no shirt on and his lower body in a cauldron. Furthermore, the old man climbs the cliff using only a long-handled mountaineering hammer.
No one has ever seen such a strange hero before. He is referred to online as “Uncle Potter” or “Tsubo Man,” but other than the name Diogenes, no further details appear to have been released.

Why the pot (cauldron)? Why the hammer? Why naked? Why climb the abyss? Even if you complete the game, not all the questions will be answered, but the main character bears the same name as Diogenes, the ancient Greek philosopher who is said to have lived in a large barrel.
While there is a difference between a barrel and a cauldron, the similarity of being in a large container for storing liquid might also be a good source to consider. …However, as I progressed through the game, I quickly found myself thinking, “Well, what's the point of them just being the same!”, so I didn't delve into this point at all.

Be sure to check out the lyrics to Cliff Carlyle's Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad, one of the pieces of music that plays in the movie. There couldn't be a more fitting song for this game.

The process of using the hammer is quite unique. If you actually play the game, you will realize that it can be used in several ways, such as rotating it, hanging it on a rock and jumping up, or hitting it on the ground and jumping.
However, this only means that it is possible, and does not mean that anyone can handle it easily.

However, as you gradually get used to the simple yet challenging controls, and every time you overcome a wall you thought you would never be able to overcome, you will feel a sense of reward, even a little bit each time. Even I, who have yet to fully master the game, feel like I am growing steadily. This is not an unreasonable game, it is just an extremely difficult game.

You might think they're all the same screenshots, but they're actually attacking the same areas over and over again…

When you're stuck on a strategy, or when you've fallen off a cliff you've worked so hard to climb and have fallen back dramatically, famous quotes from great people, poignant lyrics, and beautiful music come to you. The great “pause” at this time is irresistible in many ways.
At times like this, I've shouted at least 100 times, 'Well, first of all, use that hammer to break the bowl!', but you can't aim for the top if you're bothered by things like this.

From this work I learned that the famous line in the song “A Thousand Winds” was taken from a poem by a character named Mary Fry.

Depending on when you listen to Nietzsche's words, they can create a foundation for your thoughts about life.

There's even a quote from Sai Baba. Of course, while I was listening to this, I was still swinging the hammer frantically.

Getting Over It+ is not only a place to do really hard work, but also a place to train your mind.

Apple Arcade:Monthly fee: 900 yen (tax included) / Annual fee: 6,000 yen (tax included)
Apple One:Monthly fee: 1,200 yen (tax included)
*iCloud Plus (50GB), Apple TV+, Apple Music, and Apple Arcade available.

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