The only thing that's 5edgy here is this post.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
Lisa: The Painful RPG: The Best Game You Never Played (but should)
- Thread starter OniBarubary
- Start date
The only thing that's 5edgy here is this post.
RelentlessRolento
Member
I just started this last week... I like it but I don't know if I'm in the mood currently to go through it all. I do like everything I've played though. I'll give it another go this week when I find a moment.
loganclaws
Plane Escape Torment
Definitely play Lisa: The First if you can.
Love Lisa but found it really hard. I don't remember where I stopped but my inventory has almost no healing items, very few magazines, everyone in the party is hurt, the main character is addicted to drugs, and every random battle was a matter of life and death. Grinding doesn't seem to be an option. Recovery opportunities are rare and fraught with peril. Hard game!
loganclaws
Plane Escape Torment
Very surprised about this as I found the game to be a cakewalk. Were you playing with pain mode?
I saw the Quick Look previously and decided I wanted to see more of the game. I don't think I'm really up for playing it, but I was watching a Let's Play of it and I found a pretty good one. I'd recommend watching this guys playthrough as he recaps what he previously did and sets out his goal for each episode. He does skip some of the filler/backtracking as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4kFAVmXm6E
The game is very interesting, even just watching. It's incredibly dark and creepy and has this very odd sense of humor that is just surreal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4kFAVmXm6E
The game is very interesting, even just watching. It's incredibly dark and creepy and has this very odd sense of humor that is just surreal.
TheMrPliskin
Member
Had a copy of this sitting in my Steam library for a while now, was thinking of getting to it sometime this year but this thread has convinced me that I need to to play it asap.
OniBarubary
Banned
Of course! It took me nearly 4 months to get around to playing it after buying it, but I certainly didn't regret doing so.
Hey hey, get outta here with that!
Nah, just kidding. OFF is also a great game, though I'd say the experience is more balls-weird and meta than Lisa which has strength in being a bit more linked and straight-forward. That being said, OFF is still a great game.
Duuuuuuuuuuuuuude, if you are a fan of wrestling you need to play this game. There are so many wrestling references it's absurd. A gym of dudes working out quoting wrestling intro music to the EWC, an arena-esque area where the Shockmaster joins your party and you take on wrestlers to win mags and the belt! It was amazingly hilarious if you have any wrestling knowledge as the references came from someone who knows a bunch about it.
Oh my god that was so creepy. I kept trying to figure out what to do, if there was anything, with him and just ran away cause it weirded me out. Good on ya!
Thanks guys for giving this game a chance! And yeah, the first game is worth a playthrough but is not necessary. It's a different style of game, but it's also much shorter and free so you won't have to invest a lot into it.
And thanks to the guys who are gonna play it and owned it but never did! That is also boss of you! Come back to this thread all of you and share your impressions! One of my favorite parts of video gaming is finding stuff I enjoy, spreading it to others and then discussing it with those people and finding out what they liked too!
Or in this case, what brought them crushing despair. You know. Whatever.
Have some astonishingly good fan-art from APesquera on DeviantArt!
The Silver
Member
thread made me go play LISA: the first.
that was pretty dark brehs, gonna need a minute before I jump into the sequel
that was pretty dark brehs, gonna need a minute before I jump into the sequel
PumpkinPie
Banned
Waiting for a non-Steam version.
Not sure. But to me a JRPG is hard if I can't grind a few gold coins and XP, rest at the inn, and repeat until strong enough to not get my butt kicked. Every place I found to rest in Lisa had some downside. My party would be robbed while I was asleep. Something would fall on Brad and he'd permanently lose HP. Etc.
OniBarubary
Banned
A-yup. Prepare your butthole cause it gets soooooo much worse.
Unfortunately I don't think he plans on releasing one. =/
I liked that stuff cause it made you question whether or not to wait it out or if it was worth the risk. Really helped world-build that everything is awful. That being said, if you ain't down with it, there are a couple work-arounds:
1. Save scum. Just save at a crow, go rest and if something bad happens quit out and try again.
2. Go to a hotel. There should be a place in each area where you can sleep with someone watching you (sometimes for money) that means you will not have any bad effects. 1st area has a tent in the area with the 4 Rando dudes you have to kill. 2nd area has a hotel before...somewhere. 3rd area likewise.
3. There's one campfire in the game you can repeatedly sleep at and it will never have a cutscene after. Probably a bug. It's in the Area transition between 1 and 2, where you fought the large Native American dude while a dude beat some guy with a shovel in the background. Pretty easy to get to, just go to Area 1, travel 3 screens to the right and boom, there you go.
As far as difficulty of battles, some characters are...straight bad. I went with a party that didn't take advantage of some shit but I got by due to testing out characters and finding ones with abilities I liked.
Yet again, that being said, if you want to just get through with a baller party and not have to deal with fights as much then
grab Birdie in Area 2 as soon as you can and load your party with people who can use fire attacks. Birdie has an ability that no enemy is immune to that oils them up which makes them take 2.5x damage from fire attacks, even if they resisted before. It's fucking OP tho so expect every fight ever to be trivial from that point on. Also lets you use a baddish character you like without dragging the party down as long as you have Brad use his fireballs and another dude too.
OniBarubary
Banned
Yeah. I was actually gonna do a Pain Mode playthrough right after and then start routing for a Speedrun idea but goddam it is hard to get through this game emotionally.
Speedrun might be fun, though I am completely unlearned in finding glitches, so it'd pretty much be just doing it as fast as I can.
Speedrun might be fun, though I am completely unlearned in finding glitches, so it'd pretty much be just doing it as fast as I can.
OniBarubary
Banned
Good to hear!
I was gonna be a bit more...loquacious with my OP but I figured people would concentrate on that and not the game. Damn my writer's blood!
I was gonna be a bit more...loquacious with my OP but I figured people would concentrate on that and not the game. Damn my writer's blood!
levelplane
Neo Member
Really great, bizarre, memorable game.
Started it as soon as I found out about it. No regrets.
Sadly, haven't quite finished it. So, some regrets, I guess...
Started it as soon as I found out about it. No regrets.
Sadly, haven't quite finished it. So, some regrets, I guess...
Retromelon
Member
"Earthbound electronica jazz" is why im gonna play this game. Everything else is extra.
Brawndo Addict
Banned
As an amusing aside, that same quote was what convinced me to pass on it. Also a slight typo which I can't help but mention, but the book's correct title is "Finnegans Wake", no apostrophe.
OniBarubary
Banned
Awesome! Enjoy!
1. Damnable auto-correct
2. *extends pinky, adjusts monocle* Finnegans Wake sucked anyways. I just meant moreso in how summing up the general plot of a work doesn't necessarily give a clear indication as to the content.
3. There is no 3.
zerodeefex
Member
I hope there's a Vita, 3DS or Android port. This is the kind of game I'd like to play on a portable if I could (most of my gaming is these days).
Brawndo Addict
Banned
Oh well in that case, never-mind. I thought you were signalling a comparison in form more-so than plot setup given the extremely niche status of the book.
OniBarubary
Banned
Yeah, sorry about that. It wasn't a direct comparison, was just using a complicated book to sorta illustrate my point (a bit vaguely, as it appears). My bad.
Isn't the version from itch.io DRM-Free?
http://dingalingboy.itch.io/lisathepainfulrpg
It also comes with a Steam key.
Messofanego
Banned
After reading that amazing OP, OniBarubary...
I've got to give time for this. I love dark comedy. I love everything I'm reading here. I already own the game and listen to the soundtrack, but just need a good weekend.
I've got to give time for this. I love dark comedy. I love everything I'm reading here. I already own the game and listen to the soundtrack, but just need a good weekend.
OniBarubary
Banned
I am super partial to boss battle music, especially the secret boss and last boss music.
End is Nigh
Exploding Hearts
and of course
Work Harder
UUUH-HUUUU
UUUH-HUUUU UUUH-HUUUU UUUH-HUUUU
NeckToChicken
Unconfirmed Member
It is possibly the most plot important battle of the story.
You've stepped over how many bodies just to prove that you could be a better father than Marty. Then, just like Marty, you give in to your desire and hurt someone you love in the process. You're no longer a nobody. You're a failure.
Then cry appears in your skill menu.
Then scream...
Extra props for essentially making the player mirror the "X doesn't want to do this..." combat result.
If you're a Gaki no Tsukai fan look for some familiar names in the devil's bath house!
OniBarubary
Banned
Bingo.
I was thinking about that too. Don't really have the time to commit to a huge RPG right now.
Bought it.
LISA's difficulty is overstated. I think pain mode should be the one and only. The ability to save leisurely goes against the game's ethos.
Difficulty spikes often arrive after difficult decisions, usually prompted by
Buzzo
There is only one event in LISA that will leave you totally at the mercy of the RNG. It's the only section I can endorse save scumming. You'll know when you hit it because you'll be losing characters to the story event like beef to a meat grinder. It's the only part I disliked, but even then I appreciated the ambition of it (and thought the post-story implementation was well done).
If you want easy mode (party character spoilers):
Use Birdie in combination with RT, Mad Dog, or a level 25+ Terry Hintz. Use a turn or two to set up. Terry is especially good for this, with Verbal Bash. You can try using Brad's headbutt or slide moves to trip enemies. Make sure to use Birdie's gasoline spit. Following your set up, spam fire attacks. With this method, even bosses will drop within four or five more turns. If Brad is armless and you want to end things even quicker, there are always firebombs.
BurningNad
Member
I had this game in my wishlist for a long time, and this thread prompted me to finally get it.
Best decision EVER.
This game is fucked up. It's also fun, and has laugh out loud moments. The sign that says "VERY IMPORTANT ABOVE" and what follows really got me. I'm about 5 hours in and loving it. It's got some difficulty spikes that can really fuck you if you're not prepared and haven't saved in a while... But it's all fair if you know what you're doing.
Totally recommend this game.
Best decision EVER.
This game is fucked up. It's also fun, and has laugh out loud moments. The sign that says "VERY IMPORTANT ABOVE" and what follows really got me. I'm about 5 hours in and loving it. It's got some difficulty spikes that can really fuck you if you're not prepared and haven't saved in a while... But it's all fair if you know what you're doing.
Totally recommend this game.
The Hermit
Member
Psyrgery ES
Member
I feel now an urge to buy this game and play it.
Allnamestakenlol
Member
Sold. Really great write-up, OP.
I know I can't be the only person on GAF who wishes more games would use gameplay to tell their stories, instead of crutching on drab old exposition. LISA satisfies an itch scratched also by games like Streets of Rage, Bioshock, and Earthbound, using its mechanics to drive its story and present information to the player in a novel way. You're presented with choices over and over again that call to mind the end of Metal Gear Solid 3. LISA tells a story that couldn't be told with the same impact any other way. So refreshing after the swathes of exposition and cutscenes heavy movie games we've been getting for years.
LISA is a game that renews your faith in gaming. It might sound absurd, but despite its crude presentation its ambition is more in line with Witcher 3 than the usual nostalgia trip. LISA is a beacon. It reminds you of what made games special in the first place.
I love that Kickstarter makes projects like this possible.
LISA is a game that renews your faith in gaming. It might sound absurd, but despite its crude presentation its ambition is more in line with Witcher 3 than the usual nostalgia trip. LISA is a beacon. It reminds you of what made games special in the first place.
I love that Kickstarter makes projects like this possible.
OniBarubary
Banned
Awesome! Glad you guys are buying and enjoying! And that others are at least having it on their radar now!
Yessir. The gameplay is affected and affects the story, as does how you play the game. More games need to utilize the medium of a game to tell their stories. Too many developers try to emulate other mediums such as movies or books without exploring what a video game is actually capable of. The strength of a game comes from the player playing it. This game is so good at using gameplay to tell the story and reinforce the themes and ideas. The choices don't change your fucking cut-scene they remove a party member from your LIFE in the game, they make it harder to do combos, they make you suffer from negative withdrawal symptoms.
Gameplay is gameplay is gameplay. It's a game. Make the strongest story you can using the medium you create in. Don't give me a movie, don't give me a book. Give me a game.
thesonovabeach
Member
I read this post two days ago in the train and got carried away by your presentation of the game. And today I'm carried away by the game itself thanks to you.
I would like to thank you, and tell you how wonderful your essay is. It was so nice to read it, even for someone like me who has english for a second language.
I would like to thank you, and tell you how wonderful your essay is. It was so nice to read it, even for someone like me who has english for a second language.
lucebuce12
Member
Is there any site where the game is on sale?
You've got me really itching to try this out but, being a little strapped for cash, I guess I'll just have to wait for a good ol'fashioned steam sale.
You've got me really itching to try this out but, being a little strapped for cash, I guess I'll just have to wait for a good ol'fashioned steam sale.
Haunted
Member
I think it's good! Very peculiar sensibilities...
But it can honestly be very confusing in terms of level layout, simply knowing where you need to go... limited resources and permanent penalties (you can straight up lose teammates through random events you have pretty much no control over) doesn't make this one particularly inviting or an enjoyable experience to play.
But that's totally fine.
But it can honestly be very confusing in terms of level layout, simply knowing where you need to go... limited resources and permanent penalties (you can straight up lose teammates through random events you have pretty much no control over) doesn't make this one particularly inviting or an enjoyable experience to play.
But that's totally fine.
