Review · Adventure · macOS · PC
Through The Pain
By the LumiKin editors
Reviewed: 09 Jun 2026
macOS · PC
Legged Barrel studio · 2025
LumiScore
55/100
Good
Growth (BDS)
42
Risk (RIS)
20
Daily limit
90min
Age guidance
—
Developmental benefits
| B1 | Cognitive | 0.54 | |
| B2 | Social-emotional | 0.13 | |
| B3 | Motor | 0.55 | |
Through The Pain offers a unique and highly challenging adventure that significantly develops cognitive skills such as spatial awareness, learning transfer, and adaptive challenge. Players will hone their hand-eye coordination and emotional regulation as they navigate complex obstacles and learn from their mistakes. The game's core loop of persistent effort and eventual triumph can be deeply rewarding.
Design risks
| R1 | Dopamine pressure | 0.43 | |
| R2 | Monetization | 0.00 | |
| R3 | Social risk | 0.00 | |
The game's design, inspired by 'Only Up!', heavily leverages dopamine manipulation mechanics. The constant threat of losing all progress (loss aversion) and the 'just one more try' loop (stopping barriers, escalating commitment, near misses) can make the game extremely difficult to put down. While there are no direct monetization or social risks, the intense challenge and frustration could lead to prolonged play sessions.
Heads up
- Monthly spendTypical real-money spend by engaged players: $0–0/mo.