I’m being relentlessly bullied by this indie game about rolling a big rock

When you think of games based on mythology, the Hades or God of War franchises might come to mind. But there’s a new contender on the market that combines Greek myth with Bennett Foddy’s foibles. Push! With Sisyphus is a game about endlessly rolling a rock up a large hill. This is a notoriously difficult and thankless task in the source material, and the game adaptation makes it even worse, because as you try and fail (and fail, and fail, and fail) the developer openly mocks you.

Push! With Sisyphus Originally released on September 10th, and as of September 17th, no one has managed to beat it. The game does a nasty trick up front, where it shows you a finish line at the end of a tall hill. Sure, it’s a steep incline to manage, and the ball will take every chance it gets to slip out of Sisyphus’ grasp and back into the abyss below, but it seems manageable… at first. Once you get to that first goal post, it only gets harder.

‘Falling games’ such as the infamous Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy are popular because of the challenge and inevitable failure of the task they perform. Push It! (which Foddy has no part in) delights in placing a carrot just in plain sight, yanking it out of reach of the player at the last moment, and then mocking the player for thinking it’s a real carrot. And if Sisyphus perishes on those rocky slopes, a Dark Souls-style “You Died” banner appears… before Zeus shocks you back to life to begin your eternal torment anew.

Pushing It! with Sisyphus is available on Steamand the description says, “There is an ending. You probably won’t make it alone.” I certainly won’t; I’m wise enough to know when I’m beat. But for those who enjoy the thrill of the climb, that elusive ending might be just what you’re looking for.