LISA: The Spingeful

LISA: THE SPINGEFUL

SUMMARY:

Lisa the Spingeful is a modern reimagining of the classic themes and tropes of the original LISA trilogy, all while bringing a new set of ideas to the table. A complete deconstruction of what is to be expected in the typical side-scrolling RPG. Everything is so meticulously crafted and thought out, it’s amazing to go back and see things in a new context that you would have originally glanced over before the amazing twist at the end. This is a proper LISA fan game through and through.

STORY/CHARACTER:

When you first boot up the game, it is made immediately clear that you are not in the typical Olathian wasteland setting. You are stuck on a cliff’s edge with another person (who will be introduced later), and there is no way of knowing what awaits you at the bottom. There are no ropes, no additional cliffs to climb or jump up to, all you can access is what’s presented to you on this screen. Interestingly enough, it is implied that there is further land to explore to the left of you, but Spinge (the player character) refuses to explore. In a bold refusal of typical game design, you begin at the END of Spinge’s journey. There is no more Olathe to explore, no battles to be fought, no loot to be found. The only thing that remains for Spinge… is Yarb.

Yarb, at first glance, fills the role of the antagonist of this story very easily. The man is holding a wretched joy pill with an evil grimace on his face, his posture is menacing, and he’s right on the cliff’s edge. The game beckons the player to push him, it screams it’s morbid temptations at the player with promise of violent satisfaction, the perfect choice, the perfect villain. There is such strong design here that I never even considered the possibility of talking to Yarb, there was only ever the one option, and the game knows this. There is nothing the player can do except to take his life away.

In another bold move by the developer, the game ends here… or so the player is led to believe. When starting a new game, everything appears the same, and then the player tries to move. It’s a brilliant subversion of everything the player had been led to believe at this point, a mind shattering display of understanding of the themes of LISA… the cycle of abuse, the perversion of the world, the accountability one must hold for their actions, it’s all there! In a split second the player immediately understands that this is no mere LISA fangame, but a mastery of artistic integrity and story design! The player… is Yarb. There’s not much more to say that hasn’t been said already. Yarb pushes Spinge off of the cliff. The game ends, you boot it up again. Spinge pushes Yarb off of the cliff, the game ends… and so on. These characters, just like all characters in these games, are doomed. They are eternally punished for their act of even daring to exist in such a hopeless wasteland, and the game makes sure the player knows it.

GAMEPLAY:

I will admit, I went in with low expectations for the gameplay. How could such a short and simple game catch my interest? Is it possible for something so short to be fun? I can say with confidence that Lisa the Spingeful is one of the most fun and satisfying LISA games that can be found at the time of writing. There is nothing more satisfying than mashing down that space bar button and just going to town on Yarb (or Spinge, respectively). Over and over again you slam against your eternal enemy with weighty impact, every punch seemingly more beefy and satisfying than the last. At the end of your brutal display of violence, as if a hand from God himself comes down, the enemy is grabbed by an unknown force and pushed down that horrible and unknowable cliff where I can only presume endless terror awaits. Is it complex? No, but it never needed to be… it’s just fun, pure and unfiltered.

ART DIRECTION:

LISA: the Spingeful’s art is highly reminiscent of the almost childlike innocence of LISA: the first’s yume Nikki inspired style. Much like LISA: the Painful’s simple style can be seen as a complimentary force against the disgusting violence and dark humor contained within, Lisa: the Spingeful’s simple style suggests that the player shouldn’t take things so seriously. Cartoonish and cute, it contrasts heavily against everything else harshly, and I think this stylistic decision helped make way for the story greatly. Sadly, things are a bit lacking in the music department, with the entire game taking place in a world of complete silence. I don’t believe this was a good decision but I imagine it was made with a clear purpose. All in all, the style is wonderful, and I hope to see more games integrate the style so well with their themes and stories in the future.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Spinge or Yarb, it doesn’t matter, the message is clear. Violence is always the answer, and there will always be someone to kill.