The first one is basically a good Yume Nikki clone. You’re wandering through the dreams of a girl who is being abused by her father. The ending, like Yume Nikki, is suicide. (You don’t have to play it to understand the series, tbh it’s better to just watch a YouTube long play)

LISA: The Painful is probably one of the best video games ever made. You have Earthbound style RPG mechanics, with “comical” status effects. The game mechanically simulates addiction in a way that makes sense - the gameplay aligns with the story telling. Playing without the drug “Joy” makes you feel the urge to take it, to make just this one battle better knowing the consequences.

There’s also so many complicated feelings about being a dad, and intergenerational trauma, and how in trying to protect those we love we can hurt them. It’s such a fucking deep and smart game - something that stands as art. I don’t understand why more people aren’t talking about the series or making more things that are truly like it.

  • iamdefinitelyoverthirteen@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    5 days ago

    It’s a very good game. Very, very good. Pain Mode joyless is a challenge, and joy is super rare in The Painful. I suggest only playing on Pain Mode though. It feels like that’s how the game was intended to be played.

    The Joyful was ok. It is still good, but nowhere near as good as The Painful.

    There’s also a fan game called The Pointless that is supposedly pretty good, but I haven’t played it.

    Also, last year they did a very limited run vinyl soundtrack, WHICH INCLUDED A DOWNLOAD OF THE FUCKING MASTER .FLAC FILES!!! How cool is that!? I am so happy to have snagged it as soon as it was announced.