9 /10 1 Votes
78% Metacritic Designer(s) Austin Jorgensen Writer(s) Austin Jorgensen Engine RPG Maker VX Ace Developer Dingaling Productions Mode Single-player video game | 10/10 Steam Publisher(s) Dingaling Productions Artist(s) Austin Jorgensen Composer(s) Austin Jorgensen Initial release date 15 December 2014 Genre Role-playing video game | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Platforms Microsoft Windows, Linux, Macintosh operating systems Similar Undertale, EarthBound, Yume Nikki, To the Moon, RPG Maker 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lisa, also known as Lisa: The Painful, is a post-apocalyptic role-playing video game developed and published by Dingaling Productions (now known as LoveBrad Games). The game was written, designed, and composed for by Austin Jorgensen, and was released for Microsoft Windows, OS X, and Linux on 15 December 2014.
Contents
In Lisa, the player controls Brad Armstrong, a middle-aged man with a drug addiction who must journey through the fictional wasteland of Olathe in search of his adoptive daughter, Buddy. Along the way he is forced to make choices that permanently affect both his own well-being and that of his party members.
The game received mostly positive reviews, with praise for its writing and soundtrack, but criticism for its unforgiving difficulty and pacing, and a lack of technical polish. Reviewers especially enjoyed the game's emotional story and use of dark humor.
Gameplay
Lisa features a combination of traditional turn-based RPG combat in a 2D side-scrolling overworld. Players control Brad (and his accompanying party) as he struggles to overcome his addiction, suffering from withdrawal that limits his effectiveness in battle. The overworld features an assortment of settlements with shops and bars, where recruitable party members can often be found.
In battle, Brad and some of his companions are able to use combination attacks using the "Armstrong Style" system, allowing the player to press a sequence of keys to use powerful attacks like fireballs. Other party members use a variety of techniques for both offense and defense, applying status effects such as poison or paralysis.
Plot
Years before the game's start, a mysterious event called the White Flash brought about the downfall of society in Olathe. This apocalyptic event caused the death of nearly every human female, leaving only one known living woman. Brad finds her as a baby and raises her in secret, naming her Buddy. However, she is eventually found and kidnapped, and Brad embarks on an adventure to rescue her. Throughout the game, flashback scenes depict a pre-apocalyptic Olathe, shedding light on Brad's early life, including his upbringing alongside his younger sister Lisa and their relationship with their abusive father, Marty.
Development
Prior to the 2014 game named Lisa, Dingaling had created another game called Lisa that saw release as freeware on October 9th, 2012. This 2012 Lisa is the prequel to the 2014 Lisa and stars the titular Lisa as the protagonist. Upon the 2014 game's release, both games received alternative names, Lisa: The First and Lisa: The Painful respectively, to distinguish them.
Lisa: The Painful was funded through Kickstarter with a goal of $7,000. The campaign was launched on November 14, 2013 and raised $16,492 from 847 people, reaching both of its stretch goals. As a result, Dingaling also developed a sequel expansion, Lisa: The Joyful, which features Buddy as its protagonist.
Dingaling has cited EarthBound as his main source of inspiration working on Lisa, drawing from both its art style and use of comic relief in a serious setting.
Reception
Lisa received mostly positive reviews from critics. Praise was specifically given for the game's soundtrack, which was released as a separate download on Steam, along with an art collection featuring character profiles and concept drawings.