LogFAQs > #932372681

<b>#12: LISA the Painful
Released on 12/15/2014
Steam</b>
(written in 2017)

Somebody get Austin Jorgensen a bigger studio and a therapist. Theres a ton to unpack from this status-based 2D RPG straight out of RPG Maker.

Ill pick on its flaws first because theyre what I noticed first. If you want to play with an Xbox-controller like I did, its controls need you to set them up right away with a poor menu that requires some guesswork. The graphics do not keep up with its art design. Soon after you get control of Brad, you realize you might die accidentally at any edge of a cliff where you need to go up or down, and this problem gets worse when you realize save points are limited...so if you die after playing awhile without saving because you accidentally moved one tile too far, its frustrating. The game lacks polish.

This lack of polish also allows it some of the greatest successes. Those issues I mentioned above, while I think theyre largely unintentional, do at least fit into this unforgiving world that unfolds before you. Its an apocalyptic world where only men now live, plus the baby girl Brad found before she was taken away from him.

Because the game feels so personal and not too playtested, LISA goes two bold directions at once. One direction was how LISA got to delve deeeeeeeep into issues of drug addiction, child molestation, choices with no good answers, and sacrifice in this already-depressing context. There were literally times where I feared Austin Jorgensen could be suicidal, and as a gamer I dont know what to do about that feeling.

The other direction somehow balances this out with some of the greatest humor possible. Some of it is spot-on commentary with our world of men today, like how some of these men who havent had a woman in their world for years are still hung up on ranking their looks on a scale of one to ten. Other examples are completely irreverent -- this game features enemies who quote Bone Thugs And Harmony as they die, NPCs who pray into fast food drive-through machines, and mountains that only exist to flip you off after you climb them. How bad can depression be if you dont know what laughter is? I dont know if thats a fair question for real life, but my point is that LISA goes in opposite directions with its tone and it works so well.

The plot through-out this gets told in broken pieces as well, with flashbacks and out-of-order sequences. It reminds me of Pulp Fiction -- theres probably a better movie reference to be made here, but just know the games not afraid to toss your expectation of story structure around.

And its got the dopest goddamn soundtrack. Its musics moods are divided like the other moods of this game; there are songs here that seem like they intentionally alternate tones in the middle of them. One example is my favorite song, Mens Hair Club. Its one part techno battle-music and one part funeral organ. They blend together as poorly as water and motor oil, yet it works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fA8OeBltZw

The gameplays fine -- nothing revolutionary. Youll find some attacks and combos you like for most circumstances, but since this RPG is status-based youll learned that not every enemy burns from a fireball or gets dazed from a sliding headbutt. Youll want to maximize whatever deals the most damage and prevents your enemies from attacking you the most, because some of the end-game enemies will perma-kill your party with one hit. Speaking of party members, you get a big fun cast to find and choose from. Just...good luck keeping your favorites.

The DLC called LISA the Joyful is okay, but LISA the Painful is the real draw here. I dont know another game like this. If you can get past the problems and want a story like no other, get LISA the Painful. Just know your heart will hurt.

NOW IN 2020: this remains one of the most jarring experience in gaming. I dropped it a bit due to not being as polished as most games on this list, but that doesn't mean skip this. You would be missing out on a fascinating game that will inspire others.

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O P E R A T I O N O U S T : Nominate SHEIK!
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