The infuriating beauty of rage games and why they work
Excluding competitive titles such as Valorant, League of Legends, and Counter Strike, video games often serve as relaxing pastimes, your casual gaming experience after your 9-5.
But occasionally, stress can, in some way, be as effective as rest. And in my case, although video games serve as my relaxation, I’ll sometimes load up a game that would shorten most people’s lifespans. And I highly doubt I’m alone in this. How would you explain this paradox?
Foddian games and why they work
All kinds of games can induce rage and frustration. On one end, we have souls-like titles such as the popular Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and Bloodborne, which are characterized by its high-diffulty gameplay mechanics and powerful bosses. Elsewhere, we have competitive titles like Overwatch and Marvel Rivals, which, although they can be fun and light at times, can also lead you to smash your desk every now and then.
Meanwhile, the main subject of this article, Foddian games, is a subset of rage games that solely exist to rage-bait its players. Named after Australian game developer Bennett Foddy, the genre took off in 2017 after Getting Over It caught the attention of some of video games’ biggest streamers such as Markiplier and Jacksepticeye.
The premise was simple: get to the summit while controlling a man holding a sledgehammer. The twist? No checkpoints, highly punishable mistakes, and the prospect of losing hours of progress over a simple mistake. In short, you can get near the end of the game but make a costly mistake that can drop you down to the very beginning.
Foddian games are undoubtedly frustrating and can often make you feel like you’ve wasted your time for nothing. But at the same time, these are designed to feel as if they were made against the player, and completing one offers euphoric levels of achievement and accomplishment that contribute to its addictiveness.
Our choice of pain
Since the release of Getting Over It, several other Foddian games have sprouted with different gameplay styles and approaches. And while it’s taken on different forms over the past couple of years, the promise of a Foddian game remains the same: you’ll enjoy it, but you’ll also regret playing it.
Trees Hate You
A demo that’s recently gained in popularity, this game is what we think of when we say man vs nature. According to its Steam page, Trees Hate You is a “rage game focused on traps and gags instead of precise platforming. There’s a surprise around every corner. These trees are unfair, mean, and merciless. They will use your expectations against you to humiliate you.”
From what we’ve seen so far from our experience playing the demo, this game is exactly that. Trees will slam into you and come out of nowhere when you least expect them. And when you’ve memorized the patterns and timings, the game will suddenly throw in a curveball that could possibly pinch your last remaining nerve.
Baby Steps
Developed in collaboration with Bennett Foddy, Baby Steps is a walking-simulator-meets-Foddian-game. You play as Nate and are tasked with the brutal task of hiking a mountain. Sound simple enough? Unfortunately, with you, the player in control of Nate’s uncoordinated limbs, the game’s title starts making a little more sense.
Jump King
An icon among Foddian games, Jump King follows a knight’s brave journey to save the princess at the top of the world, one jump at a time. But as what you’d expect from rage games, the higher you go, the harder you fall, and Jump King arguably does this best.
Get To Work
This game offers a satirical take on climbing the corporate ladder, but with the Foddian twist of a young man conquering capitalism on rollerblades.
Egging On
Chickens don’t fly, but in this game, nothing will stop an egg from reaching the skies—that is, unless you fall and crack into a puddly yolk.
