So when the story ends the way it does, you are never given the option to break the cycle.
This feels forced and actively works against the game’s thematic concerns. The player is given agency throughout most of the game, but later on, that agency is largely stripped away, and Brad makes a number of decisions I don’t agree with. The problem is that the narrative presents no options for escaping the pattern. I’m not sure I agree with that, but it’s worthy of discussion. Even when we attempt to transcend our past, we will ultimately fail, and the cycle continues. LISA: The Painful has an important theme tied up in its story: abuse begets abuse. Inevitably, she wanders off, gets captured, and Brad goes on a journey to save her from all the unsavory things in their world. Filled with memories of his father’s mistreatment, Brad decides that in a world so unsafe, especially for the only living woman, what’s best is to lock Buddy away in a secret underground basement. Eventually, Brad happens upon an abandoned baby girl whom he names Buddy. Violence is not just common, it’s expected. The rest of the men in the world are equally tortured, sex-crazed, and resort to everything from forming gangs to establishing brothels to make them forget about their troubles. Years later, all women on the earth have disappeared in a mysterious event referred to as “The Flash.” A grown, drug-addicted Brad is tortured by visions of his childhood, notably the abuse both he and his sister endured at the hands of their father. After Brad struggles to get back to his dilapidated house, his father berates him for being so weak.
You play as a character named Brad who is beaten by his classmates in the opening scene. The narrative makes this hopelessness clear from the very start. It presents a vision that is so dark it makes the whole experience unpleasant for the sake of being unpleasant. There are a number of reasons why that’s the case, but mainly LISA: The Painful fails to acknowledge any hope or humanity for its characters. LISA: The Painful is the darkest game I’ve ever played. These dark narratives often suggest that even in the greatest moments of despair, hope can be found.
Stories that examine what makes life difficult resonate with me because they often present important truths about how to live. My friends and family even make fun of me for it, and my students accuse me of only teaching depressing books. Whether it’s movies, books, video games, or even music, the more depressing something is, the more likely I am to enjoy it.