LISA: Definitive Version Evaluation (PS5)

LISA: Definitive Version is the up to date assortment of LISA: The Painful, initially launched in 2014 by way of RPG Maker, and its sequel, LISA: The Joyful. These new releases are prolonged with new quests, bosses, and secrets and techniques. There’s even a brand new problem mode alongside Regular and Painful; Painless, for many who simply wish to expertise the story.

Olathe has skilled a mysterious phenomenon; the ‘White Flash’ has worn out all girls, crumbling society because it was beforehand identified. The protagonist of LISA: The Painful, Brad, is a sufferer of this new society, hooked on a drug known as Pleasure. When he stumbles throughout a child lady, who he names Buddy, he raises her and retains her secure from the broader society. Earlier than lengthy Buddy goes lacking and Brad units out to seek out her, happening a rampage of homicide and destruction to get her again.

Choosing up the place the primary sport leaves off, LISA: The Joyful options Buddy as the principle protagonist and different characters from the unique aiding her on her path. Our protagonists aren’t dealing with their struggles solo, and you may recruit teammates to bulk out the get together.

Crew members all have completely different fight specialties. Brad is a karate grasp, whereas within the sequel Buddy’s most popular weapon is a knife. Each recruitable teammate additionally has their very own specialty, and we have been drawn to some combating types greater than others. Levelling characters up means they be taught extra abilities, that are utilized by spending TP or SP. Battles may be actually robust, and there does appear to be a pointy problem spike in each video games, even enjoying on Regular as we did.

Character design borders on grotesque at instances, including to this sense of unease, and the soundtrack is commonly grating, particularly in battle. Characters are annoying, even these you recruit to your get together, and it actually feels such as you’re caught with them with no higher choices. Similar to you possibly can think about it could be in an actual apocalyptic state of affairs, you must take care of what you’ve acquired.

The video games introduce some attention-grabbing stat adjustments which we’ve hardly ever seen earlier than; withholding Pleasure from Brad causes him to enter withdrawal and tanks his stats. Characters can get the Crying stat, which impacts their accuracy. Others are ‘Bizarre’, ‘Melancholy’, and ‘Mega Cool’; there’s 5 pages of standing results within the glossary, so it feels the chances are nearly countless. It is a minor gripe; there are simply too many, and none are defined when in fight or the true world, not even the primary time you expertise them, so it actually takes going into the tutorial tome (discovered by the merchandise menu) to determine what an impact truly does.

There are some actually uncomfortable themes all through each of the LISA video games, each opening with a reminder that the protagonists are over 18. This warning doesn’t make these emotions go away, and we discovered that there was a normal sense of unease all through all the playthrough – however then, that is wholly intentional. Neither of those video games are sunshine and rainbows, so it does its job completely. LISA: Definitive Version will go away you pondering for days after completion concerning the complexities of the human situation. It’s a deep expertise packaged in a grotesque and uncomfortable sport.