The post-apocalypse is among the cornerstone ideas in fashionable media, be it books, movies, or video video games. From The Final of Us to Bioshock, from Mad Max to Snowpiercer, our collective urge for food for worlds which have fallen into spoil speaks volumes of the exhaustion many really feel on the present state of worldwide affairs. When societal collapse turns into a tempting escape, there’s one thing really, deeply mistaken.
Lisa falls squarely into the post-apocalypse class, however it predates a lot of the fashionable mania with the style, releasing initially in 2014. It additionally provides a novel spin on the tried-and-tested post-apocalypse idea: slightly than having a cataclysmic catastrophe or lethal virus be the instigator for its world’s woes, Lisa as a substitute imagines a freak incident referred to as ‘The Flash’, whereby each lady on earth mysteriously disappears. From this straightforward conceit, it manages to weave a wealthy narrative tapestry that interrogates a number of the darkest features of human nature; a tapestry wherein the principle colours used are black and crimson. It was a surprising cult come across its authentic launch, however 9 years later, in a market extra saturated with related content material than ever earlier than, does its new definitive version nonetheless maintain the identical energy? Let’s hit the street and discover out.
Setting the scene
Lisa begins with a beating. Your foremost character, Brad, takes steady punches to the face from a gaggle of native children, decreasing him to a bloody mess on the playground tarmac. Following this, he slinks off house, the place he receives related therapy from his abusive, alcoholic father. The 2 episodes represent a daring opening to Lisa’s story, and make it clear that this isn’t a sport that might be pulling any punches, in both the literal or metaphorical sense. Robust subject material might be tackled head-on, and also you’ll really feel the complete affect of it, regardless of the quirky, colourful artwork type that calls to thoughts Earthbound extra readily than The Strolling Lifeless.
![Lisa Definitive Edition Review Moment 1](https://www.pcinvasion.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Lisa-Definitive-Edition-Review-Moment-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C675)
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These two scenes are instantly adopted by a soar forward in time, to the post-Flash world the place the majority of Lisa takes place. They’re extremely vital, nevertheless: not simply as character moments for Brad, however as an introduction to the central theme of the sport: masculinity. Being set in a world with out girls, your entire solid, apart from the central little one we’ll get to shortly, is made up of males, and the Flash as an idea lets Dingaling Productions discover the implications of such a world intimately throughout the sport’s runtime. It’s not dissimilar to the concepts investigated by the likes of Lord of the Flies and Gone, however whereas these works examined the inherent savagery of man by the eyes of determined kids, Lisa as a substitute takes a deep dive into gender politics, and provides a cynical-yet-nuanced commentary on the fashionable man within the course of.
![Lisa Definitive Edition Review Moment 2](https://www.pcinvasion.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Lisa-Definitive-Edition-Review-Moment-2.jpg?resize=1200%2C675)
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When the sport correct begins, we see an older Brad, now bearded and haggard, stumbling upon an deserted little one out within the sandy wastes of the post-Flash world. Maybe guided by a need to redeem the sins of his personal father, he takes the kid in, and brings it to the camp the place he and some fellow males have been residing. They uncover the kid is a woman, and abruptly the world shifts on its axis. The implications of being the one identified lady in a world filled with males are as huge as they’re horrifying, and Lisa wastes no time in addressing them, with one campmate suggesting they flip her over to a robust gang chief in trade for lives of luxurious. This proposition is swiftly denied, nevertheless, and the kid grows up in relative peace, her gender hid from the world by masks and isolation.
Into the wastes
A quiet, nice life isn’t a lot of a foundation for an RPG story, in fact, so it’s not lengthy earlier than issues go south, the reality in regards to the little one is found, and Brad’s pals are all slaughtered throughout her kidnapping by an unknown villain. So begins a rescue mission a la Fallout 4 by the use of William S. Burroughs, as Brad ventures out right into a testosterone-drenched, vice-ridden hellscape in the hunt for the final identified lady on earth.
![Lisa Definitive Edition Review Levels](https://www.pcinvasion.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Lisa-Definitive-Edition-Review-Levels.jpg?resize=1200%2C675)
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In motion, Lisa performs like a purely 2D Mario RPG, with a hearty dollop of Earthbound heaped on for good measure. You discover a collection of 2D environments designed like platforming ranges, chatting to an more and more surreal solid of characters, and battle enemies in turn-based fight. All three pillars of Lisa’s gameplay are well-represented, however it’s the primary two that basically take priority, firmly establishing Lisa as a sport that places narrative first and mechanical gameplay second.
Loads of this narrative is delivered in standard methods, by character dialogue and interactions with environmental objects, however there are some wonderful mechanical expressions of it as effectively. Selecting to relaxation at a campfire to replenish your celebration’s well being, one thing you do with out pondering in numerous RPGs, carries further threat right here, as your celebration could also be attacked and even kidnapped whereas weak within the night time. This makes you contemplate whether or not you really want to relaxation every time you do, and reinforces the concept the world of Lisa is harmful: one thing that many post-apocalyptic video games wrestle to reconcile with the ability fantasy that in addition they present.
![Lisa Definitive Edition Review Confusion](https://www.pcinvasion.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Lisa-Definitive-Edition-Review-Confusion.jpg?resize=1200%2C675)
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You’ll additionally see it on the earth design, which feels intentionally complicated. Complete areas will be discovered behind tiny holes in rock partitions, and the 2D nature of it makes crafting a psychological map a lot trickier than in top-down or 3D equivalents. It’s irritating in follow, however it additionally hammers house the concept Lisa’s world isn’t made for you, and isn’t concerned with serving to you get by it. Whenever you’re low on well being, and may’t bear in mind which cave entrance results in your final save level, you’ll really feel the desperation that the actual survivors of such a world would really feel. And it’s exhilarating.
First one’s free
These design choices, whereas counter-intuitive by typical requirements, assist to construct up an environment of unease that feels wholly acceptable for Lisa’s mature subject material. As you journey the wastes, you’ll see human depravity of all types. The everyday post-apocalypse violent gangs are current, in fact, however they’re only one ingredient in a wealthy broth that additionally consists of sexual deviants, drug addicts, alcoholics, and the quieter tragedy of lonely males who categorical their eager for their misplaced wives within the type of merciless jibes at their expense. Within the absence of conventional societal constructions, your celebration members undertake idealized masculine ‘dream roles’ together with hunter and luchador. It’s a deeply unhappy world, and one which feels fully-realized regardless of Lisa’s comparatively quick runtime.
![Warehouse](https://www.pcinvasion.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Lisa-Definitive-Edition-Review-Warehouse.jpg?resize=1200%2C675)
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The word on drug addicts above is especially vital, as your foremost character, Brad, is one himself. Whereas not explicitly acknowledged, from the beginning of the sport you’ll discover that he begins experiencing ‘withdrawal’ signs frequently, which drastically cut back his effectiveness in fight till you relaxation, experience them out, or take one other hit of Pleasure, Lisa’s signature drug. Drug habit isn’t a subject that many video games have made severe efforts to deal with, and Lisa’s interpretation isn’t significantly advanced both, however it succeeds in placing you within the headspace of an addict by creating difficult-to-manage withdrawal conditions.
Withdrawal can strike at any time, together with proper earlier than battle, which may go away Brad, usually your foremost harm seller, out of fee. In case your different celebration members are well-leveled, you may afford to have him guard up and sweat it out, however you don’t at all times have that luxurious. Typically, the one method to get out of a state of affairs alive is to take successful of Pleasure for fast withdrawal reduction, and a giant stat enhance besides. Doing so solely furthers the self-destructive loop the sport places you in, and it doesn’t simply apply to Brad both. Different celebration members will include their very own vices, such because the liquor-loving archer Olan, which you’ll have to grasp to be able to make the perfect use of them in fight.
Combo breaker
We haven’t touched on Lisa’s fight a lot on this evaluate, and that’s as a result of there’s not an enormous quantity to report. It’s pretty normal so far as turn-based RPG fight goes, with abilities to be taught, gadgets to handle, and foes to face. One notable wrinkle the sport provides is a combating game-esque combo enter system for character abilities, paying homage to Sabin from Ultimate Fantasy 6. Brad, and different characters you’ll meet in your quest, have to enter particular button combos to be able to execute their abilities to the fullest, which calls for a little bit of rote memorization from the participant.
![Combat 1](https://www.pcinvasion.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Lisa-Definitive-Edition-Review-Combat-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C675)
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You may at all times examine on these combos in fight, so you may brush up proper earlier than the blow, however doing so grows exponentially harder whenever you add extra combo-based attackers to your celebration. It’s a pleasant mechanical novelty, and one that provides Lisa’s fight a little bit of character, whereas additionally tying properly into the themes of masculine obsessions with violence that pervade the remainder of the expertise.
![Combat 2](https://www.pcinvasion.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Lisa-Definitive-Edition-Review-Combat-2.jpg?resize=1200%2C675)
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Whereas not a novel function by any means, the excessive problem of Lisa’s fight feels very acceptable as effectively. The dangerous save factors and fight penalties related to substance abuse wouldn’t maintain a lot weight if the battles you needed to battle weren’t truly difficult, so we’re happy to report that they’re. Even early on, we discovered ourselves grinding ranges in opposition to Shadowy Figures in a cave, stacking up cash for higher gear and boosting recently-recruited celebration members to usable states. Doing so was essential to be able to conquer the sport’s first main boss, a fleshy abomination often called Charmy, and whereas we appreciated the fight having tooth, it did conflict considerably with the concentrate on narrative seen elsewhere within the sport.
Worthy work
That narrative and the world Lisa builds round it are the actual stars of the present right here, which makes it irritating when additional progress is gated behind a monstrous problem spike that shoots up seemingly out of nowhere. We perceive the necessity for stakes and stress in a sport like this, however whenever you’re taking a break from recruiting luchadores on the native bar, getting scammed by an previous man in a ramshackle hut, or unintentionally setting fireplace to an orphanage full of kids, it’s onerous to really feel just like the uninteresting turn-based fight is price it.
![Difficulty](https://www.pcinvasion.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Lisa-Definitive-Edition-Review-Difficulty.jpg?resize=1200%2C675)
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It’s a tricky steadiness to nail, and the builders have finished an admirable job, however for us the scales are weighted barely too closely on the issue facet. Fortunately, for all gamers who really feel this fashion, the brand new Definitive Version introduces Painless Mode: a brand new possibility you may allow at any time by utilizing a key merchandise, and one which drastically reduces the general problem of the sport, letting you cruise by and soak within the story. The sport positively loses a few of it’s killer edge in case you do that, so it’s a compromise, however it’s an ideal inclusion when it comes to each accessibility and normal enjoyment. And in case you’re an actual glutton for punishment, the brand new Painful Mode allows you to flip up the warmth and makes save factors single-use: not a very inexperienced initiative, however one which makes your each choice rely in a manner that they didn’t earlier than.
With these new choices, alongside jumped-up visuals and results and normal polish, Lisa shines simply as brightly right now because it did when it debuted in 2014. Even in a gaming panorama replete with post-apocalypse fantasies, its bleak depiction of a world with out girls feels daring and related, delivering a stellar narrative supported by offbeat mechanical design choices. It’s not a sport that you just’ll at all times take pleasure in taking part in, and at instances you’ll actively hate it, however these highly effective feelings are your final reward for persisting. Lisa is a sport that rolls you in life’s grime and defies you to face up once more. In case you can handle this, then it’s really probably the most surprising, vivid odysseys the gaming world has to supply.