History VideoGame / Lisa

A Remaster of both ''Painful'' and ''Joyful'' called ''LISA: Definitive Edition'' was released on July 18, 2023 for all major platforms. This version includes altered gameplay mechanics, updated visuals, new quests, and additional campfire conversations, plus an additional super secret surprise...

** Areas or key items are frequently blocked off by extremely difficult fights all over the place, but this is nowhere more prevalent than in the first hub area. While some exploration is possible, you can't progress to the next area without defeating Charmy the joy mutant, which is basically impossible without a full party and some firebombs, except the only generator in this area is blocked off by Oak Tree Steve and his Rando soldier pals, meaning you'll realize pretty quickly that the game wants you to go to the area with the bar first to recruit [[ArcherArchetype Olan]], [[RedMage Nern]], and/or [[UseYourHead Rage]], and get some better gear.

* AnAesop: In order to properly raise a child, one must be of sound mind and body. Despite Brad's legitimate love for Buddy, he is unfit to raise her due to his mental health issues and drug addiction, and the game makes a point of this.

* AbsurdlyHighLevelCap: Both ''The Painful'' and ''The Joyful'' have a hard level cap of 99 but every character learns their final skill at level 25 and by the time you reach that level, the game is almost done. The amount of grinding needed to get to 99 in ''Painful'' will take forever due to {{AntiGrinding}} and its completely unfeasible in ''Joyful'' due to lacking random encounters and something like the EWC.

** In ''Painful'', Brad passes out after overdosing on Joy and has a mental fight with [[spoiler:an extremely long and phallic Sticky, fueled by his belief that he molested Buddy and "corrupted" her into wanting to repopulate the human race.]]

* EatThat: [[spoiler:"Sometimes you need to just. Eat your heart out" "Pick yourself up." "Do what's right" "Be a man, and suck it up" "Blah blah blah, then do a horse stance and go fuck yourself." The words of windom that Brad followed]].

** At the end of ''Joyful'', [[spoiler:Buddy's hallucinations start growing worse as she hallucinates Rando and Brad and fights them, grappling with her loneliness and her complicated relationship with her family as well as her desire to NeverBeHurtAgain.]]

* NoWomansLand: Quite literally. Basically all of the women are gone from the world, and the only one left becomes a serious ButtMonkey.

* DeathSeeker: The deranged mascot Wally, reveals to Brad that he wishes for death, when encountered in the pain mode.

** If Harvey gets kidnapped, the ransom note will say "...fish?" in place of "guy." Also, Carp's ransom note will refer to him as a "creepy fish guy".

* GroinAttack: Lisa's murders of Tricky Rick are a sort of symbolic version of this.

** Brad's fight with [[spoiler:Sticky]] after being force-fed Joy seems to be this.

* AuthorAvatar: Widdly 2 Diddly, the name Austin Jorgensen went under as the game's composer, appears as a man wearing a disco ball on his head and dancing wildly (and unresponsively) to his own personal rave in a small house on the way to the Joy Factory. [[spoiler:Upon returning, you find he's hanged himself, and in ''The Joyful'' you can find his followers worshiping a sort of shrine dedicated to him.]] According to WordOfGod, he's hailed as a musical hero of the Olathian wastelands, and as such, the acronym [="W2D"=] is graffiti'd in several areas throughout the game.

* BookEnds: The story begins with Brad and Buddy together, coming across a lone daisy, and ends with a much different Brad passing by a similar lone daisy.

* CallBack: There are several references to ''The First'', such as the Fancy Cave where Brad finds [[spoiler:different Joy mutant "art pieces"]] having the same wallpaper as the Mansion. This area also gives him the map for Resort Island, which contains another call-back to [[spoiler:Bile Town, where everything is covered in red and yellow splotches. The mutated versions of Marty can be seen in the resort as well, and the room Brad enters on the fourth floor contains the same couch and TV that Marty can be seen watching in the ''The First'', coupled with a happy Marty face from the Blank Room sticking out of the TV.]]

* {{Deconstruction}}: Of [=RPGs=] in general, and the notion that these games have no "sacrificing". Party members can die and not be brought back to life in certain circumstances, Brad is a far cry from normal protagonists and [[AntiRoleModel is someone you do NOT want to be,]] and [[spoiler: the game ends with Brad dying, succeeding in his quest but losing literally everything else.]]
** Also possibly a deconstruction of BadassAndChildDuo. Being raised by a broken, traumatized man who has no problems taking the lives of others (optionally while also in the middle of the apocalypse) probably isn't very healthy for a child's mindset.

** The Joyful reveals that [[spoiler:Brad's abuse of Buddy went far beyond being overprotective - we see him force Buddy to kill a man to teach her to fight at an extremely young age, stating that his daughter "will not be weak." He also completely disowns his adoptive son Dusty, refusing to acknowledge him when Buddy asks about him. Also, Yado isn't exactly the best biological father, as he used Buddy as a pawn from birth to throw Olathe into further chaos.]]

* AuthorAvatar: Widdly 2 Diddly, the name Austin Jorgensen went under as the game's composer, appears as a man wearing a disco ball on his head and dancing wildly (and unresponsively) to his own personal rave in a small house on the way to the Joy Factory. [[spoiler:Upon returning, you find he's hanged himself, and in the Joyful you can find his followers worshiping a sort of shrine dedicated to him.]] According to WordOfGod, he's hailed as a musical hero of the Olathian wastelands, and as such, the acronym [="W2D"=] is graffiti'd in several areas throughout the game.

* CallBack: There are several references to the original ''Lisa'' game, such as the Palace where Brad finds [[spoiler:different Joy mutant "art pieces."]] This area also gives him the map for Resort Island, which contains another call back in the form of [[spoiler: the dirty area of the original Lisa, where everything is covered in red and yellow splotches. The mutated versions of Marty can be seen in the resort as well, and the room Brad enters upstairs contains the same couch and TV that Marty can be seen watching in the original Lisa, coupled with a happy Marty face from the white world sticking out of the TV.]]

* CentralTheme: ViciousCycle of Abusive Relations, and CycleOfRevenge over the course of generations until [[ScrewDestiny one can break the cycle]].