Freddie Mercury once sang that, "Pain is so close to pleasure". Though we suspect he wasn't singing about tough-as-nails pixel-art auto-runners like Kid Tripp, he might as well have been.

Like the 8-bit platformers of old, Kid Tripp is designed to test your both your memory and your reflexes to breaking point, in the hope of delivering the ultimate gaming reward: the thrill of a victory snatched from the jaws of defeat. And, for the most part, Kid Tripp fulfils its brutal ambitions.

As you can see, the game is unashamedly retro. It certainly doesn't mess about with modern luxuries like tutorials or checkpoints. You dash; you jump; you chuck a few rocks. You make it to the end, or you get booted back to the start.

There are four worlds to beat, all of which you could technically clear in a total of 15 minutes. In reality, however, it'll take you that long just to complete one stage during the final chapter of the game. This is where the fun - and frustration - of Kid Tripp lies. As every spike, enemy, or chasm equals instant death, only a perfect run will get you to the finish line.

When you run into that crab in your blind spot, or miss that jump by millimetres for the 10th time, you'll want to gnaw your own fingers off with rage and disgust. However, when you do manage to execute those 25 or-so commands in the perfect order with the perfect timing and cross the finish line, it's a beautiful moment.

Once you've mastered the levels themselves, there's always the option to climb the leaderboards, and try and complete the game without losing your 9 continues. It's a hardcore challenge, but one which League of Evil fans may relish.

In its quest to echo games of the past, Kid Tripp doesn't bring anything radically new to the table. We would have also enjoyed another world or two to tackle. But what it does offer - honest, bare bones, no-frills fun - is plenty enough to justify the price of admission. It'll try your patience, but has the power to make your heart soar.