LISA: The Joyful – Definitive Edition

Developed by Dingaling Productions and published by Serenity Forge LISA: The Joyful  Is a platform action-adventure game set in a post-apocalyptic world with some seriously dark undertones. Unknowingly when I picked this up I didn’t know the game was part of a series. I saw it had some RPG elements and thought it would be interesting. But the game creates a dreary bleak existence with lots of death everywhere and many awful acts being implied.

               LISA: The Joyful does nothing to prepare you for the game ahead other than the grimly dour music and a picture of a gallows to let you know what you are in for on the title screen. There is no catch-up of what has previously happened – when you start the game (and if you go in blind like I did) then welcome to confusion. You see a person who is beaten and placed into a sack and then it cuts to the character you play, a young girl called Buddy. She is being looked after by a big brutish guy who you can assume is her father but he doesn’t like being called that. He is her protector as there are not many females left in the world so he knows she would become a target if exposed. Something then happens and the same person who seems to be your father is now at death’s door impaled by many weapons and for some reason, it cuts to you fighting him which I don’t know why. After defeating him you then set out on your adventure to try to show everyone that you are not a weak girl and she will kill anyone who stands in her way to try and change this broken world for the better. I think that is correct but there is no narration or anything that explains the story.

                The whole layout of the game has doubled down on how bleak the world has become with barren lands with unnerving music in the background. There are dead deformed bodies strewn everywhere and in this post-apocalyptic world, the remaining beings have combined to form gangs in a sort of mad max vibe. It only takes a few steps into other screens to see that the world is out to get you. When anyone sees you and notices that you are a girl they immediately begin a battle with you to take you as their prize.

                The combat of the game is probably the part of the game I found most interesting as a big fan of RPG’s. It uses an old turn-based system very commonly used in early 90s RPGs with many added tweaks. You will notice first that the game is very challenging playing as Buddy who starts pretty weak. Thankfully you begin with a companion called Rando who is powerful enough to get Buddy through some of the earlier parts of the game. Some of the skills Buddy has relies on perfect timing to hit a critical hit which is a fun challenge but also vital to master if you are ever to progress.

                The game difficulty settings are quite confusing as you can’t just configure them if you are struggling or finding things too easy. I was struggling to start with and I lucked out when walking to the left from the start as you can collect an item that reduces the difficulty of the game which is a unique way to amend the difficulty but one where if you are finding the game too difficult then you might lose interest. LISA also penalises you for going too easy in a certain area as a shopkeeper offers to make the game even easier and taking them up on the option just ends the game with what I can only assume is a bad ending.

                What I didn’t notice until my second restart of the game is that if you show some trust in your companion Rando then you can wear a mask similar to his which hides the fact you are a girl and allows you to avoid some altercations. There are some other masks that you should be able to find but I was unable to do so. Health items are also quite scarce and they are needed quite often as the battles can be quite challenging. You do start with a large amount of an item called Joy. This item restores your health fully and gives you the ability to do some critical damage but it says it should be used as a last resort. In my second play through I needed to use them quite a bit and I never saw the drawback from it. Not that the game explained anything but upon reading online Joy is supposed to be an addictive drug.

                The main direction of the game is to defeat all the gang leaders whose names are carved on a large rock face. The downside is you have no idea how to find these gang leaders and a lot of the searching is through trial and error. But be warned this game has manual save points like the games of the past. You need to find a crow on a perch to save your game and it’s important you do as there are many pitfalls which cause instant death. There is nothing like beating a challenging boss but then falling off a platform to lose all your progress so you have to do it all over again.                

Although LISA tries its best to leave you feeling disturbed with many enemies trying to harm you or do some worse acts to you being one of the last females alive there are some moments of amusement. For example, one of your skills is for your character to flash your naked body at the enemy to charm them and make them easier to beat. There are other fun skills to learn and use too if you can overlook the disturbing images and enemies in the game with all their deformities and grotesque nature. When you reach the end of the game – which will take you a fair few hours to do – then you will have a decision to make which will affect the ending you get, which is no doubt there to encourage some replay value.

Conclusion

LISA: The Joyful  is not a game I would recommend just jumping into without either playing the previous game in the series or at least reading up on as it is disturbing enough, without being confusing too. I find it lacks a lot of structure as I understand some of the character development and the struggles of Buddy’s situation but without any backstory or assisting narrative, it’s not easy to connect with what is happening. The battle system in the game is quite fun and I enjoy the different moves you can use and some of the animations of the enemies are delightfully kooky.

This game was tested and reviewed on Xbox Series X/S. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.