If you have ever wondered what the watermelon must have felt like towards the end of Gallagher’s stand up routine....then you’re just going to have to keep wondering, at least until games are able to convey actual pain. However, if you have ever wanted to keep a digital character away from experiencing that kind of pain whilst cavorting through a 3D maze platform game, well then have I got the solution you have been looking for! Not me, specifically of course, but Chillingo sure does, with their newest game for your Android device in This Could Hurt.

This Could Hurt is something of a mix of genres, with platforming, timing puzzles and endless not-really-running-so-we’ll-call-it-jogging. Usually, games that try to be an all in one deal kind of fall flat on one or more of their influences and I am glad to say that This Could Hurt actually lives up to the challenge pretty well. It’s not without its faults, but then again what isn’t?

The main premise with This Could Hurt is that you must guide your on screen persona through a winding, twisty, and turning labyrinthine level in order to get to the end. Okay, you don’t really have too much control over where the character goes; he just jogs forward, and will continue to do so at his own peril. Littered throughout each level you will find many multitudes of traps and all kinds of ways for him to get harmed: from ginormous sledgehammers (hence the Gallagher reference), saw blades, boulders, flame throwers, spikes....the list goes on and on. You will also encounter plenty of moving platforms and ledges that are just itching to throw you headlong off the screen and to your doom.

So if one doesn’t really have much control over the on screen character, how is one to guide him safely to the end of the level? Fortunately, it’s actually very well thought out. The apprentice (that would be the player’s character) continuously runs, at least until you tap on the screen - effectively putting the brakes on. This is about the only point of contention that I have with the game, at least on the small screen. While the characters and on screen items are generally large enough to see, it can be a tad difficult at times to tell exactly where your character is at in relation to the damage dealing death trap of doom you are attempting to avoid. You can get pretty close to some of them without hurting yourself, but with the isometric viewpoint it can be touch and go at times....literally. The good thing is that, unlike most of the age-old classic games we all used to play, your young apprentice is not a one hit wonder. You will want to keep an eye out on his health bar at the upper left of the screen. Some traps take more out of you, of course, so you’ll want to do your best to avoid them. Of course, some traps are exceedingly fast - like the spinning spikey arms of doom - and you’ll get nabbed darn near every time.

You will find that some of the levels have multiple paths that can be taken, and in order to get all the good items and achievements you will want to do your best to find them all. Speaking of items, you do get to collect acorns in order to spend them on power ups in between levels. These can be very helpful for some sections of the game - for example slowing down those pesky spinning arms I mentioned. They don’t last very long, but thankfully they last just long enough to be pretty darned useful. I would be remiss if I didn't mention that that This Could Hurt does feature an online store with in app purchases. You can procure bags of the previously mentioned acorns, unlock all the levels (there are four worlds to choose from) or get rid of those pesky advertisements (which include full screen ads).

While I briefly touched on the graphics previously, I do want to mention that the 3D graphics look pretty good on your mobile device. Imagine if you were playing a PlayStation One era game, they are at about that level. Nothing too quick moving, but definitely capable and well done for the platform and target audience. Again, due to the viewpoint your on screen character will get lost behind walls and columns, so try to keep an eagle eye out for where he’s at before getting into too much trouble. The in game music is none too distracting, but it’s really nothing that’s too overly memorable either, so again I leave it turned off most of the time. The game controls are about as simple as they can be, you can tap on any part of the screen to stop running so I’ve got no complaints in that department at all.

If you’re looking for a whimsical stomp through some cool booby traps and puzzles, then you should look no further than This Could Hurt. It’s a free download and it’s available over on the Google Play store, so you should check it out!

This Could Hurt is available for free on the Google Play Store