LISA: The First | a Review
originally published on 23/08/2020;
Hello everyone, I am the initial G.E.M.Simov, a primary entity that dwells within the realms of man. On this day I come to talk about a game that goes by the name LISA: The First.
Simple review details - I rank games on an out of 10 basis, granting up to 3 points in 3 categories, as well as a last, single point from my own self, depending on my experience with it. Also, I am a gameplay designer and a writer so I got the credentials to talk shit.
Gameplay
“LISA: The First” is a top-down adventure game with puzzle elements. It features no combat and a simple movement scheme that allows the player to go in the four cardinal directions. The game is very bare bones, when it comes to its gameplay, as it was more focused on delivering a message, by telling its story.
The only thing that I could point out is that the game is finished through the obtaining of items. As with any adventure game, the player needs to wander about, find items and talk to characters, so that they might affect the game’s world in a way that changes it and either allows for passage or presents the player with the opportunity to obtain new items.
The process of obtaining items is tied to the exploration of the game, which is limited by what kinds of items the player has, or what game state the player has reached. At certain points in the course of the game, the player will collect an item and do something with that item, which will allow the player to enter a new area.
The areas, newly unlocked by an interaction like what was described above, are commonly more challenging to get through than the previous areas, as they feature enemies. Those enemies follow set patterns of movement, and the goal of the player is to time their own movements right, so as to get past the enemies without getting hit, as getting hit (or just touching them) means getting put back at the start of the area.
The few puzzles in this game involve moving rocks around in an attempt to clear a path. These puzzles are relatively simple and were nothing out of the ordinary. What was not simple, however, was getting past some of the enemies, requiring multiple instances of trial and error. It was not overwhelmingly difficult, nor did it require more than 5 minutes of effort, at best, but it was still an unexpected spike in the challenge provided by the game, and it was not all that pleasant.
Another bit that was unreasonably difficult was the navigation through some of the areas, which had very little present to help the player with orienting themselves or figuring out where they were. That was also coupled with the fact that there were items placed in random locations, at first glance, in those areas which would have taken a lot of looking for if I had not decided I was going to utilize a guide.
As a whole, “LISA: The First” is very lacking in gameplay, but what little there is is not horrible. 1/3
Presentation
“LISA: The First” does not look good. It is very heavily pixelated, 2D, which normally does not leave a bad impression on me, but the game was released 2012, and I would have expected less pixelated visuals from it.
The issue that I have with the pixelation here is that the game has a very minimalist approach to level design and the population of those levels with any extra content. The low fidelity of the graphics was a contributing factor to the sameness of many areas which served only to confuse and, downright get me lost. The rough outlines of the characters seem to add to the story, but, again, the look of the game is very underwhelming.
“LISA: The First” has a few music tracks, but they are all very bare bones and not at all impressive. The same can be said about the sound effects of the game, which are simply present. There were a few notable exceptions, such as the sound that is played when using the toilet, which turned out to be Delin’s grunt, from Shenmue II. That was very nice.
Other nice things are the ways the few characters in the game are designed. They appear to be rough, around the edges, but each has a unique appearance. Some are very grotesque and monstrous, which is done to strengthen the perception of said characters, as what they are in the eyes of the main character. Well done in that department.
Alas, “LISA: The First” does not have what it really needs, in the visual department, to emphasize the story it tries to tell as well as it hopes to. 1/3
Story
“LISA: The First” tells a story that is difficult to comprehend. I must inform the reader that I had played “LISA: The Painful RPG” prior to playing this game, and, as a result of that, I knew about almost everything that was to be shown in this one.
The game is very dark in its choice of subject matter, made heavier by the way it is presented. The main character is the titular Lisa, although the player only finds out halfway through the game. The main theme of this game is abuse.
Child abuse.
“LISA: The First” starts off with Lisa in her room. She makes to leave, but is told, by her father (at that time, presumably) to go back to her room, in a very rude manner. When Lisa does manage to leave, she goes outside and is treated to a house that has fallen in disrepair - garbage all around it, the paint peeling off, many things disused. As she tries to run away, things become quite disturbing.
The game goes on in great detail to show the abuser, being Lisa’s own father, and his many stages that Lisa herself has beheld and experienced. There are moments when he is shown as a prim and proper, nice and kind fellow who is incredibly loving to his daughter, going to a tea party with her, wearing a suit and smiling, rosy cheeks adorning his round face.
There are other moments when he is shown knocked in the toilet of a nightclub, laying on the dirty floor, covered in sweat and vomit while reeking of alcohol. He hides his face with a big pair of sunglasses, as if deep down he is ashamed of his own self. His beard is unkempt and wild, and he has grown fat and disgusting, wearing an eternally dirty, red hawaiian shirt.
There are other characters who are introduced, and they are even more haunting than the images of Lisa’s father. Some characters hint that there was not only abuse, but also engagement in forceful, one-sided carnal acts.
“LISA: The First”’s story requires a bit of interpretation to be truly discovered, and, most of what I have said, although generally accepted as canon, could just be my own interpretation of what happens. The game has a very unsettling feeling to it, and it makes the player feel uneasy throughout most of it, and ends in a very spectacular fashion that I could not make myself spoil.
The game speaks on the subject of abuse, in general, and that is a topic I find relatively important to keep in mind, as abuse, whether one wants it or not, happens. People act like animals, as their rationality does not extend beyond the confines of what they consider their comfort zone, and, once taken out of that, they become quite cruel and thoughtless.
Alas, the story could have been executed a bit better. As it stands, it is abstract and paired with a very mediocre gaming experience, which is less a game and more a vehicle to move the story along. 2/3
Legendary Point
Does this game get the legendary point, so craved and wanted by all and none at the same time? Alas, no. I would have liked to give it the legendary point, as I personally really enjoyed the LISA franchise, but the first entry into said franchise does not have what it takes. It is the worst game out of the three, and it is, evidently, the creator, Austin Jorgensen's first foray into game making, if I were to guess. 0/1
Conclusion
4/10. “LISA: The First” is not a good game, being below average in quality. I do not think I can wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone but people who have played and enjoyed either “LISA: The Painful RPG” or “LISA: The Joyful” and want to see all that is out there.
On the wall of shame, I hang this game. It could have been better, but it is what it is.