[Demo] PAIN: Below Sanity

About

What is PAIN: Below Sanity? PAIN is a tough-as-nails, labyrinth-structured rage-game utilizing full-on space physics. Introducing things like Power-DOWNS, that can stack on top of eachother for the most painful experience. ...Can one make it to the end unscathed...? What awaits your sanity? Extreme space-physics Unforgiving and annoying gimmicks NO checkpoints (imagine lol) Timing tomfoolery Wh…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

75%

Audience ScoreBased on 24 reviews

music6 positive mentions

story3 negative mentions

The game offers a challenging and rewarding experience, perfect for players who enjoy hard challenges and the feeling of accomplishment.
It features a great soundtrack and interesting visuals that enhance the overall experience.
The recent graphic overhaul improves the game's presentation significantly, making it more visually appealing.

The pacing can be frustrating, as it takes a long time to return to where you died, which can disrupt the flow of gameplay.
Some players find the movement mechanics to be floaty and imprecise, making it difficult to control the character effectively.
The sound design has received criticism, with some players feeling that it lacks quality and coherence.

music
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
20%
20%
The music in the game is widely praised for its amazing soundtrack, which complements the events and enhances the overall experience. Players find the combination of the engaging soundtrack and appealing visuals motivating as they progress through the levels.
- “Amazing soundtrack”
- “It also features a very nice soundtrack fitting to the events of the game.”
- “Accompanied by a great soundtrack and nice visuals, you are always motivated to complete the damned level.”
- “This is not music.”
- “This is not music.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The story revolves around controlling a spaceship on a quest to escape Earth, navigating through various levels. While the narrative is considered interesting, the game is primarily focused on gameplay, with a solid structure that offers around 4 to 10 hours of content, depending on additional features. Overall, players find the story engaging enough to complement the gameplay experience.
- “Overall, this is a solid game worth the price for only 3 bucks, as the average playtime is roughly 4 hours, plus a lot of extra content after the main story, maybe adding to a total of 10 hours.”
- “Regarding miscellaneous aspects like music, story, and art style, these were fairly interesting to hear and look at.”
- “In Pain, you control a spaceship on a quest to leave planet Earth, and you have to go through a bunch of levels to get to the end.”
- “Luckily, there is an update coming to address this, but I guess it's fine now considering this is more of a gameplay and story-focused game.”
- “Regarding miscellaneous stuff like music, story, and art style, these were fairly interesting to hear and look at.”
graphics
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The recent graphic overhaul significantly enhances the visual experience, providing improved sprites and visual feedback that make the game more appealing. The art style, reminiscent of "the world's hardest game," complements the simple level design and is paired with a captivating soundtrack, keeping players engaged throughout. Overall, the graphics and optimization contribute positively to the game's atmosphere and motivation to progress.
- “The recent graphic overhaul (repainted free DLC) improves the experience a lot by adding a lot of visual feedback and changing sprites to be better on the eye.”
- “Accompanied by a great soundtrack and nice visuals, you are always motivated to complete the damned level.”
- “Regarding miscellaneous stuff like music, story, and art style, these were fairly interesting to hear and look at.”
- “It feels like a spiritual successor to 'the world's hardest game' due to its simple level design and artwork.”
- “[h1]Graphics and optimization[/h1]”
- “[h1]Graphics and optimization[/h1]”
gameplay
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
49%
38%
The gameplay is primarily focused on a blend of mechanics and storytelling, featuring a unique power-down system that encourages players to adapt their playstyle to navigate various levels. Despite its seemingly simple movement, the game offers surprisingly deep mechanics, such as momentum control, enhancing the overall experience. An upcoming update is expected to further refine these elements.
- “Though even with its rather simple-looking movement, it has surprisingly deep mechanics, like stopping your momentum or using it to your advantage.”
- “The unique power-down mechanic requires you to adjust your playstyle in order to complete various levels.”
- “Though even with its rather simple-looking movement, it had surprisingly deep mechanics, like stopping your momentum or using it to your advantage.”
- “Luckily there is an update coming to address this, but I guess it's fine now considering this is more of a gameplay and story-focused game.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
50%
25%
Reviews indicate that the game's optimization is not demanding, suggesting that players do not require high-end graphics cards to enjoy it. The game's performance appears to be accessible even on lower-end hardware, making it user-friendly in terms of system requirements.
- “About optimization: You don't need an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080 to enjoy this game; it runs smoothly even on lower-end hardware.”
- “About optimization: Dude, you're playing a world's hardest game ripoff; you don't need an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4080, lmao.”

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[Demo] PAIN: Below Sanity

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PAIN: Below Sanity (Classic)