LISA: The Painful

It’s been 8 years since I completed LISA, and I still think about it from time to time.
Maybe that’s just trauma.

This game was horrific.

Jolly good show

Early Game: "Haha what a goofy silly game what wacky adventures will happen next?"

Late game: "Tear off my last arm, I don't care you're not hurting my daughter!"

Amazing game 10/10 buy it full price.

I really like the idea of the game... but going through the actual execution of it is too painful to bear.

truly disappointed about the lack of an hour long crisp/toby makeout scene............. TRULY expected more from this game

games like lisa are the reason i vehemently reject the notion that games by their nature can't be progressive, and i mean that in the actual marxist sense of being advantageous toward the proletariat in the time of advanced monopoly capitalism, rather than vague petite-bourgeois or labor aristocratic notion of giving first world whites more superprofits or advantages or whatever

that's intensely provocative, but that's what this game deserves. it's not marxist, at all, in fact it's anti-marxist, dwelling on liberalistic ideas of human nature or fixated on the dualistic nature of gender

but that's just it, statements like "every man is inevitably an incel" are what gets butts in seats here. that's not something even the most radical of materialist feminist thinkers have dared to encroach on, even the ones that help formulate ideas of men and women being in different classes, or ones that incorrectly situate the gender struggle as the primary contradiction in society (to the delight of every amerikan woman trying to get an abortion using stolen surplus value)

that kind of direct, visceral attack on patriarchy is exactly what we need at the current time of the postmodernistic muddling of the family economic structure ironically making it harder to visualize the new forms "Men" are taking to recapitalize on their lost social capital.

it might've been nicer to tackle the implications of what it means for men to opportunistically latch onto polyamory in an effort to form personal harems, for example, but that's not this game's effort and that may be a development too far out of its time, despite the loose implications of what not tackling this directly means (incel itself is an attack on disenfranchised men attempting to disrupt liberal-bourgeois social norms in a psuedo-fascistic manner, hence why you see the counter-attack simply being "lol go have sex or smthn", it's not exactly a place of proletarian refuge)

i dont think this was quite the author's intent behind this game, but i murdered them in cold blood anyway, so it's not like i care.

If u don't mind emotional trauma it's great :)

A really memorable story with absolutely heartbreaking moments, great moments of black comedy, an interesting and unique take on a post-apocalypse setting and an amazing soundtrack. I adore the large number of wacky, unique playable characters which offer great team building, and it has an amazing soundtrack. Who doesn't get immediately relaxed by the wonderful chill melody of Summer Love?

It can also be very challenging, in particular if you play blind, prepare for a tough adventure.

LISA the Joyful is a great epilogue, but it is much harder than the base game. Even though it offers a great conclusion to this story, I prefer the base game. I haven't played or experienced the game again since the Definitive Edition was released, and I experienced quite a few bugs when it came out and I tried to play it which put me off playing it again entirely. I don't know if those have been fixed, or what's new. Maybe one day I'll return to this game, but I doubt it. LISA is fantastic all-around, and the fangames that followed it are great companion pieces. I highly recommend it to any fan of turn-based RPGs, dark stories, black comedy, tough buff male characters, a fair and not insignificant amount of undeniable homoeroticism, post-apocalyptic tales, and surreal horror.

they say this is the game that will "ruin your life", this isnt exactly true but it is one hell of an emotional rollercoaster, you will get whiplash from what this game throws at you. but its probably the single most creative rpg ever, imo. lots of fun and if you like death grips youll love this soundtrack

The praise for LISA is as earned as it gets. It's a game that is simultaneously heartbreaking and yet hilarious, with an absurdist sense of humor that really feels like it's own thing. There are things similar to LISA's brand of wacky, but nothing that can match its smarm as well as its heart.

That being said, the game does have some obnoxious RNG. Not difficult, obnoxious. Like percentage changes to have resting just fuck you over (poisoning you, stealing items, money, even party members which can permakill one in a specific area through no fault of your own), the entirety of the roulette introduction, and even shit like campfire stories having a shot to fuck over a party member just because.

This stuff isn't hard to deal with either (at least on normal mode), since savescumming is trivially easy. It just feels like an unnecessary level of dickishness mostly made to make Pain mode even more painful.

Game is still a masterpiece though (even if Joyful is a bit meh gameplay-wise)

This game is a pure depression

This game is pretty much perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this game. The world is interesting and twisted which perfectly suits the wacky,wonderful, edgy and evil characters you meet throughout. The game-play is simple yet so refined whilst also managing to throw in loads of hilarious attacks and abilities. The games strong point is definitely the world-building and story as you uncover more about Brad and struggle to make irreversible decision that can change your party or abilities.

en joy

;)

Soft recommend. It didn't hit "great" for me but it's good.

A cruel world with cruel and unfair decisions. Really good for a blind playthrough where you don't know how or when the game is going to make you choose.

A silly world filled with humor, dark and otherwise.

Overall, pretty good job with the pacing to balance those two sides.

Things that could be better; the game mechanically has a lot of things that lend for multiple playthroughs, which I like a lot. There's a lot of options for your party, and your choices, and your difficulty, which is all awesome. But for the story and narrative, I think it'd benefit from some more significant differences than minor dialog changes and epilogues based on some of those choices.

Combat wise, I think it's solid. It's RPG combat, it works how RPG combat does and it's largely driven by numbers going up like RPG maker combat is. I wish the gear options were more interesting than just being mostly stat mods, but this game is hardly unique in that. I also wish moves were more descriptive; flavor text is good but there's some moves that I needed to play with for 4-5 turns before I actually understood what they did, and a LOT of moves that I didn't know what they did until I used them. I just said screw it and looked up the wiki when building for my second playthrough.

this makes me work harder

great game. lowkey pretty dark, but has great humor as well. i love the characters a lot too. great designs, great personalities, yadda yadda yadda..i dont really know what else to add but if youre looking to get depressed, enjoy burning orphans, this is the perfect game for you.

forgot to add but brad on a bicycle has to be one of the best things ive seen in awhile.

Despite the dubious quality of the Serenity Forge Remaster, this is the game I like to recommend the most to my friends. I waited a long time to make this review so I could really sit with the game and I have to say, even years after playing it for the first time it is still not only my favorite gaming experiences, but one of my favorite mediatic experiences of all time and it is one that will stick with me forever.

The tone of this game is just perfect to me, in the span of a few scenes it can shift from a deep tragedy and sadness to really exposing all the whimsy and hilarity of this world that is so rich and detailed from the fairly little you see of it in the game, and this type of tonal shift can only be achieved in very few games that I know of. Dingaling also really ramps up the worldbuilding and lore of the world in the DLC/sequel? LISA the Joyful, which is also an amazing game/DLC with a great ending, despite some minor complaints I have about the Joy system being underutilized in that and the character writing being kind of "off" to me.

The gameplay is a perfect entryway into the turn-based RPG genre, and as it was one of my first, it made me realize how fun this type of gameplay (that I'd been avoiding for so long due to thinking it was "boring") really was, with it being a fairly unique game for being made in RPG Maker. One of the things that really stuck out to me was the crying status effect that the Joy mutants (and sometimes your party or others) have, and it really unsettled me with how it was implemented, as well as the sound design for them being basically the only thing that actually unsettled me in gaming, and speaking of sound design, LISA also has an amazing soundtrack that is very memorable and just very distinct from any other, it being one of the main reasons I decided to check out the game.

The story is one of the main reasons why people play this game, and I can definitely say it is incredible, taking the first few minutes of the game as an example, it is genuinely incredible how much the creator can make you feel in such a short timespan and with almost no spoken word, it really reminded me of the start of Up. As you stare at the screen in disbelief from just the opening "cutscene", the tone shifts completely after your first meeting with Terry Hintz, a.k.a. The Greatest Man Ever Made, and the first combat encounter with Cheese Legs (RIP the hood lost a real one today). The combination of all those moments happening in such a short timespan really sets the tone for everything that will come after in a way I can't even describe.

In conclusion, I feel like those aspects (and many more I probably forgot to include) are some of the reasons why this game is really special, at least to me. It was an experience that made me cry, laugh, be horrified, be surprised, and it is definitely worth checking out for anyone that is a fan of video games or especially videogame storytelling. If you decided to read this all the way through thanks brouder I appreciate it :)

funny burn orphans

If you have any kind of sense about your own existence, you must play this game

My favourite rpg and maybe my favourite game of all time.

Lisa is difficult and yet not crushingly unfair, it rewards you for sticking through the suffering and the satisfaction I have gotten from this game is unmatched. The story flips from deeply tragic to hilarious on a dime and somehow pulls it off every time. A must play for any rpg fans.

I will say that the game does deal with some very heavy subject matter though so keep that in mind.

very captivating rpg. fun and worth the price
story is sad. and world is built in a good looking way

I felt like I was beaten in a good way. Then beaten again.

I wish I could say that I love this game, but I just can't.
To start with the positives, Lisa: The Painful hooked me with its intro and is packed full of funny and interesting characters. The combat is decent, and for the most part the gameplay is pretty good (if we ignore the 'fall to your death' mechanics, which can become a bit tedious)
The fact that I genuinely liked most aspects of this game makes me even more sad, disappointed and VERY pissed off about Lisa's fatal flaw- the story.
At first, it seemed like the narrative of this game would be compelling, funny and (most of all) SENSITIVE to the harsh topics it chose to handle. What I ended up getting was seemingly void of empathy and, honestly, sloppily written. Some characters that we are convinced to hate from the beginning, who do horrendous and unforgivable things, are treated as redeemable? Not to mention, it feels as if we are punished for hating characters who do terrible things through the dialogue and gameplay choices we are forced to make and are, either way, punished just as badly for the 'right' or 'wrong' decisions. I've tried my best to not spoil the story too much here, but part of me doesn't think it matters.
Overall, the game started strong for me, but just went downhill and ended in a car crash. Then again, I can't deny that some parts of the game that charmed me, which just makes this even worse.

If you want to give this game a go, why not? Enjoy the things it does well, whilst acknowledging what it fails at, and I think you'll have a decent experience. 5/10, I wish it wasn't.

games soo good i kill myself

The moral dilemma that is core to the story is dated and naive, and very disappointing by the end. Gameplay and story overall do not compel or intrigue me enough to merit replaying and completing all the side quests. Played this game based on suggestions after Omori--this game does not compare to Omori.

Not sure what to say, its a must-play honestly.
Story goes both hard, but also very funny. Characters are pretty good, and the combat is quite good, and not too forgiving. Cant skip mentioning the OST either, especially "Work Harder", quite a lineup.

First impressions aren't great. The game has mean mechanics like letting you die from falling off of ledges in the overworld and party members getting kidnapped when you rest. That's annoying but not deal-breaking.

But the game and it's characters just aren't that endearing. There's more referential humor than times your characters ever even interact.

If you want to have depression, sure, buy this game.

It's a masterpiece, and it will always have a special place in my heart.
It teaches you so many lessons to apply it in real life, but also it makes you reflect upon yourself too.

10/10

[Note: Going through and reviewing old games that left an impression me, since apparently I'd neglected to until now]

What can I say about LISA, that hasn't been said a thousand times over by other, better spoken people and reviewers?

I first played through LISA: The Painful back in 2016, and ever since then it has left a rather large impression on me. I'd say it's probably one of the single most important games I've ever played - and really did kick off a love within me of indie RPGs as a whole.

It's utterly gutwrenching - but balances it out by being this weird, quirky, dark humored affair. Despite really being a relatively stock RPGMaker combat game, there's nothing that's really matched it's vibes, aesthetics or sound. The powerhouse work of a single developer and composer. It's a very complete and focused experience.

You can see why it inspired an entire line of impressive fan games over the past decade or so - talented people trying to work on top of it's shoulders. I'd say a lot of those are worth your time, too.

The short of it - this one is always gonna be a recommendation from me. One with a lot of asterisks attached, mind you (ie, heavy content warnings), but one that I think is worth your time.

This game is way too weird. Well made but not recommended for anyone under 30.

that garth guy kinda cool and that bo guy too

thanks for recommending this to me chase Grant

Gut wrenching story. Surprising replayable.

A kind of indie Suikoden xd.




Overprotective

You come into our club... With no hair? You dandy FUCK!

i like playing with dinosaurs and hot wheels and the game is cool ig but i also like playing with transformers

Probably not finishing it. The music and nern aren't enough to carry the subpar combat system and exploration.

It's dark and beautiful and the storytelling is so compelling you almost forget the 8-bit graphics. I wouldn't change a thing.

omori for burnt out alcoholics

One of the best games i've ever played. Simple, well-made, the story starts funny and intriguing to heart-breaking at the end. Incredible work.

hard af sidescroller turnbased rpg with great taste; also really funny

"that was my gasoline bucket!"

5/5

My dumb potato bitch wife, God rest her soul.

Honestly was a kinda straight forward rpg even on painful (recommend any first timers to play normal) but is something I would highly recommend anyone who's looking for a shorter rpg that's both goofy and depressing

this game is one of my favorite RPG games i have played ever
it has good gameplay, a good story, good characters and overall is a great game
the only reason someone would not enjoy this is if they arent fond of difficult and unforgiving games
though i must say that i would not recommend the DLC it would be a better idea to just watch someone else play it in my opinion

GOTY 2014 (played OG on another account) -placeholder review-

This is the second most tragic thing to happen in my life...

It's a flawed must-play game, especially if you're interested in making games.

- It ping pongs between wacky humor and extremely dark topics, and I wouldn't say it always handles it with grace. But the game is very funny and the dark themes feel, at least, earnestly told.
- The strong writing is in the moment to moment scenes and unique meta gameplay. Not so much the overarching plot which is frustratingly straightforward with its themes.
- You could describe the game as wacky and jarring (in a good way), and that perfectly describes the soundtrack. The music is perfect for this style of game and really carries the experience for me. The songs feel designed to both instill horror and slap you in the face with hilarious sample choices. They could have mixed the music better and I'm glad they didn't, because I think it's mixed how it should be for this experience.
- The game is meant to punish you, permanently killing party members or taking resources from you unexpectedly. Roll with it.
- While I enjoyed collecting party members, the writing is clearly the strong part of this game and I found the combat wore on me after a while when I just wanted to get to the next story beat.
- The way people talk about this game is a bit intense. I get the sense that this franchise has attracted a faction of either young people or people that just likes edgy content in general, regardless of how it's told. These are not people that tend to read into a game. There's a lot to unpack here, but you're going to be frustrated by fans that seem to go with the most surface level interpretation of things.

Lastly, A disclaimer. I don't recommend playing the sequel to this.

This is the 2nd of three games. The first game was inspired by another indie RPG. So this game, while well written, also has this feeling of fan fiction stretched into a franchise. When I said the overarching plot was straightforward, I meant for this singular game. Unfortunately, it's inseparable from the franchise which has fallen into the trap of over-explaining every characters role and has collapsed under the weight of its own lore." I found this kinda stepped on the serious themes this game dealt with and just made it feel more like an SCP writer was really into rape scenes.

So if I were you, I would avoid playing the sequel to this and try to take Lisa: The Painful as is.

game gud

I completed this years ago, but finished Definite Edition just now, years later.

One of the best RPGs, also one of the most messed up ones.

Not for everyone.


+ Good character cast
+ Good story
+ Funny, but also tragic
+ Banger OST
+ Some replay value with different team setups
+ Solid DLC continuation with Lisa: The Joyful


* Game can be quite hateful towards the player, especially on Pain mode. This can but people off, but it's essential to set up the theme of the world. Not as punishing as something like Fear & Hunger, however


If you don't mind weird, dark RPGs that are punishing, this should be right up your alley.

10/10 ruined my life as promised

No joy. Only pain.

emotionally wrecked me and ruined my life

would play again

I played this game a few years ago but didn't finish it because it was hard. I decided to play it again a few years later and finished Lisa: The Painful and Joyful this year. In Lisa: The Painful, you play as Brad starts in his childhood when he takes a beating for his friends who stole a ball and goes back home showing that his home life is bad. His father Marty hates him for being a disappointment to him where Brad goes to his sister's room to check on her then goes to his room crying. We move on a few years later as Brad is an adult and he finds a baby that turns out to be a girl. In the world he's in no more women are meaning that the baby Brad has seen is the last hope for the world. He shows his friends and says that he will take care of her. A few years pass and Brad is strict with the girl named Buddy. He doesn't let her go outside because he's worried that men in the world would do bad things to her. He makes a mask because he feels like she deserves a chance to go out in the world instead of being stuck in a house all day of her life. He takes her outside and shows her a flower that has some life left since everything else filled with life is gone. After that, we go to the present where Brad helps a guy that's attacked by a dog and kills it. The man you recused named Terry joins him because he sees how lonely Brad is and joins his party. You return home to find out that Buddy is kidnapped and goes out to look for her. Now for the gameplay. The gameplay is similar to the Mother series if you played them. For some characters, you have to do certain moves to do them with TP and SP to use them. TP you need to get hit or hit enemies to raise it. For SP you have to rest or use consumables to use them. You can find magazines in the world of Lisa to use as currency to get party members, equipment, or other things you feel like you need for the game. Each party member has unique abilities that can be useful in combat. Every time you level up your stats increase and you can get new skills making combat easier. When I played this game the second time I used a guide since I had no idea what to do to make things easier for me. The music is a mixture of calm to dark when something serious happens. There are choices where you have to sacrifice your party members or other things that you can't avoid. There is Perma death meaning once you make that choice the option is final unless you save the game. There is another game mode you can choose but I chose the one you start with since I had no motivation to play the whole game all over again. In this game, some parts show Brad's past meaning that he has suffered trauma from all he's been through in his life. For resting you can either go to a campfire out in the open or a place where you have to use currency which isn't a problem since you can go to a spot where you can grind for magazines. There's Lisa: The Joyful since it's a game that's after Lisa: The Joyful where you play a character you see in the game. Pretty much an expansion to the first game where it shows the ending for the game. I recommend getting this game but it's pretty depressing to play through. I give this game an 8 out of 10. Have a good day.