LISA: Definitive Edition
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Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for LISA: Definitive Edition
In truth the hardest thing about LISA is talking about it because it's just one of those titles that's really better experienced.
Lisa: The Painful is just a perfect name for this game as it evokes such emotions while playing. Depending on the gamer though this dark, sometimes humorous, always shocking world could be just the ticket to see something polar opposite from say a Final Fantasy. I certainly walked away from this game not feeling the light and pride of finishing the usual RPG’s, Lisa: The Painful is a bleak experience but one that is worth it if you can stomach it.
LISA: Definitive Edition sees two games deserving of a new audience, even if they haven't aged all that well in places.
There are some really uncomfortable themes throughout both of the LISA games, both opening with a reminder that the protagonists are over 18. This warning doesn’t make these feelings go away, and we found that there was a general sense of unease throughout the entire playthrough – but then, this is wholly intentional. Neither of these games are sunshine and rainbows, so it does its job perfectly. LISA: Definitive Edition will leave you thinking for days after completion about the complexities of the human condition. It’s a deep experience packaged in a grotesque and uncomfortable game.
I may not be the target audience for LISA, but I recognize quality when I encounter it. The mechanics subvert the usual RPG tropes, leaving you tense and scrambling the entire time. The world itself is both funny and awful, with a heavy dose of post-apocalyptic tragedy thrown in. The level design left me feeling disoriented, but I think it was meant to. The graphics get your guard down, setting you up nicely for the brutal writing. The game is tough too, which feels appropriate. I have no idea what to score this game. Although I hated playing it, I can tell it was a well-crafted experience. I can’t honestly recommend LISA: Definitive Edition, but some of you will check it out regardless. To you I say, have fun! You will not soon forget this game.
Lisa: Definitive Edition tells a story that's just as relevant now as it was in 2014. A prescient, necessary revival.
Lisa: The Painful & Lisa: The Joyful are cult classics for a reason, with masterful merging of story and gameplay to create a harrowing and hilarious adventure. You'll laugh, cry, and rage across this fascinating post-apocalypse with excellent new features and content, making it easier than ever to take in this touching tale.
LISA: Definitive Edition takes all the good and bad of the original game, improves on it, and makes it more accessible for a new generation of people to experience.
