Lisa: The Painful
A post-apocalyptic RPG about a man searching for his adoptive daughter.
Lisa: The Painful, a post-apocalyptic role-playing game, was released in 2014 by the American indie studio Dingaling Productions. Austin Jorgensen handled writing, design, and music for the title, which launched for Windows, OS X, and Linux on December 15, 2014. It forms the middle chapter of the Lisa trilogy, coming after Lisa: The First (2012) and before Lisa: The Joyful (2015), a standalone piece of downloadable content that wraps up the story.
Players take the role of Brad Armstrong, a balding, middle-aged man with a difficult history. He travels across the wasteland of Olathe searching for Buddy, his adopted daughter. Throughout the journey, choices must be made that permanently impact both Brad’s own condition and that of his party members. Critics generally responded well, highlighting the narrative, gameplay, darkly humorous writing, and soundtrack. An expanded bundle titled Lisa: Definitive Edition, which includes both The Painful and The Joyful, came out on July 18, 2023.
The gameplay blends turn-based combat with a 2D side-scrolling overworld. Brad and several other characters are hooked on a drug called Joy, which supposedly makes users "feel nothing" while greatly boosting attack power. However, it causes severe withdrawal symptoms when not taken. The overworld contains settlements with shops and bars where potential party members can be recruited. There are thirty possible companions, but all except Brad can die permanently—either through scripted events like Russian Roulette or from certain enemies that use instant-kill moves.
In battle, Brad and some allies can perform combination attacks using the "Dial Combo" system, where the player inputs a sequence of keys to unleash powerful moves like fireballs. Other party members employ various offensive and defensive techniques, inflicting status effects such as stunning or paralysis. Each character has a unique playstyle; for instance, the anti-Joy crusader Ajeet’s standard attacks are Pokes that deal no damage but guarantee status effects, leaving his special moves as his only direct damage source.
Player choices affect core mechanics. Brad can lose one or both arms, or some party members, depending on decisions made. Losing arms drastically lowers his stats and increases Joy withdrawal frequency. Without any arms, Brad cannot use his Armstrong Style and can only bite opponents.
In Lisa: The
- Developer
- Dingaling Productions
- Release Year
- 2014
- Platforms
- Windows, OS X, Linux
- Genre
- Post-apocalyptic role-playing game
- Series
- Lisa trilogy
- Protagonist
- Brad Armstrong
Lore & Background
In Lisa: The Painful, the player controls Brad Armstrong, a balding, middle-aged ex-martial arts instructor with a troubled past. He journeys through the wasteland of Olathe in search of Buddy, his adoptive daughter, after she is seemingly kidnapped. The game features a combination of turn-based combat in a 2D side-scrolling overworld, with a drug called Joy that increases attack power but causes withdrawals. Brad and some companions can use combination attacks via the 'Dial Combo' system, while other party members have unique playstyles, such as Ajeet, whose standard attacks provide status effects but no direct damage.
Reader's Guide
Lisa: The Painful received generally favorable reviews, with praise for its story, gameplay, darkly comedic writing, and soundtrack. The game is noted for its permanent consequences: party members can die permanently through scripted events or enemy moves, and Brad can lose one or both arms based on player choices, drastically lowering his stats and increasing Joy withdrawal frequency. The setting, Olathe, is a post-apocalyptic wasteland where all women have perished after an unseen cataclysm called 'The Flash.' The game's narrative explores Brad's abusive childhood with his father Marty and his sister Lisa, who committed suicide. Expanded versions of Lisa: The Painful and Lisa: The Joyful, bundled as Lisa: Definitive Edition, were released on July 18, 2023.
Did You Know?
- The game includes thirty different possible companions, all except Brad susceptible to permanent death.
- Joy was developed by Doctor Yado in partnership with the military to create super soldiers, but deemed a failure as users become Joy Mutants controlled by Yado.
- Brad's final decision in the game is whether or not Buddy hugs a dying Brad, though this has no impact on the story.
- The game's protagonist, Brad, is addicted to the drug Joy, which causes users to 'feel nothing.'
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