LISA: The Painful similar games & best alternatives

LISA: The Painful

PC (Microsoft Windows), Linux, Mac • 2014

Should you play it?

The miserable journey of a broken man...

What works
  • Deep and impactful story
  • Unique dark humor
  • Challenging tactical combat
  • Large cast of memorable characters
  • Immersive post-apocalyptic atmosphere
Things to keep in mind
  • Punishing difficulty and permadeath
  • Some players may find themes too dark or disturbing
  • Lack of map or guidance can cause confusion
  • Slow pacing early in the game
  • Some visual and technical glitches

What to play next

Similar games, hidden gems, and fresh directions from this game.

Top picks

Games that feel the closest overall

  • Wasteland 1 - The Original Classic

  • Wasteland 2: Director's Cut

  • Lords of Xulima

  • Darkest Dungeon®

  • Fear & Hunger

  • Vagrus - The Riven Realms

  • BLACK SOULS

  • The Desolate Hope

  • Judgment: Apocalypse Survival Simulation
Hidden Gems

Less popular games with surprisingly high similarity

  • Brigand: Oaxaca

  • Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

  • Heroes of Steel RPG
If you liked…

Recommendations by what you enjoyed most

  • Story

    Grotto
  • Autonomy

    The Political Process
  • Continuation

    Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut

Similarity map

Explore nearby similar games and see why they’re close.

How to use the graph
Similarity map

Each dot is a game. They are arranged from the same motivation profile as in the “Why this game works” section below. Closer dots usually mean more similar reasons to play (exploration, competition, relaxation, etc.)—not that one game is “better” than another.

  • Purple star: this page’s game — everything on the map is relative to it.
  • Coloured chips: click to highlight games that mainly differ on that motivation; click again to reset.
  • Dotted line: link between this page’s game and the one selected for comparison.
  • Hover a dot for a screenshot preview, score, and top score gaps; click to compare in the panel on the right.
  • Scroll or double-click the chart to zoom out and see more games.

Why don’t the axes read like a score? This view uses t-SNE: it only keeps who is close to whom. The scales are not “good to bad” or hours played—they separate groups on the map. Read distance between dots, not the axis numbers (hidden on purpose).

LISA: The Painful: Broadly representative of its motivational profile, with a few distinct shifts. Motivations that often define this kind of title include Fellowship, Violence, Survival, Cooperation. Here, the score leans higher than usual among comparable games on Leadership, Cooperation. It leans lower than usual among comparable games on Relaxation.

Why this game works

A motivational profile of the game, with the closest similar game for each player motivation.

  • Autonomy

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    "Players have extensive freedom to choose their political path, offices, policies, and strategies, reflecting high personal control over actions and decisions."

    Capsule for The Political Process The Political Process

    "Players make tough decisions with lasting consequences and can choose party members and paths, reflecting high personal control and freedom."

  • Competence

    Game with the same Competence vibe

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    "Combat requires tactical thinking and skillful use of positioning, skills, and party roles. Some players find it challenging and rewarding."

    Capsule for Expeditions: Viking Expeditions: Viking

    "Combat is challenging and tactical with unique party members and skills, requiring skill and strategic thinking."

  • Competition

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    "Focus is on personal story progression and survival rather than competing against others; no multiplayer or leaderboards."

    Capsule for The Banner Saga The Banner Saga

    "Focus is on personal story and survival rather than competing against others; no multiplayer or leaderboards."

  • Continuation

    Game with the same Continuation vibe

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    "Engaging story, characters, and replayability encourage long sessions and multiple playthroughs."

    Capsule for Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut

    "Highly engaging story and gameplay encourage long play sessions and replayability to explore different choices and endings."

  • Cooperation

    Game with the same Cooperation vibe

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    "Party system allows cooperation with AI characters; multiplayer exists but is separate and rarely used."

    Capsule for Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time

    "Players manage a party of characters cooperating in combat, but gameplay is single-player and party members are AI-controlled."

  • Creativity

    Game with the same Creativity vibe

    3

    "Players customize character abilities and experiment with different party compositions and battle strategies."

    Capsule for Demonschool Demonschool

    "Players recruit and customize party composition and experiment with different combat strategies and character skills."

  • Domination

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    "Interactions emphasize mutual respect and shared struggles rather than exerting control or superiority over others."

    Capsule for Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector

    "Interactions emphasize shared struggle and mutual respect rather than exerting control or superiority over others."

  • Escapism

    Game with the same Escapism vibe

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    "Dark, emotional story and atmosphere provide a strong escape from real life through immersive narrative."

    Capsule for My Lovely Daughter My Lovely Daughter

    "Dark, immersive narrative and atmosphere provide a strong escape from real life through emotional engagement."

  • Expectation

    Game with the same Expectation vibe

    -4

    "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest in story and characters, not due to obligation or pressure."

    Capsule for Road 96 🛣️ Road 96 🛣️

    "Players engage voluntarily out of intrinsic interest in the story and gameplay, not out of obligation or pressure."

  • Experimenting

    Game with the same Experimenting vibe

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    "Players try different character builds, explore multiple quest paths, and experiment with tactical combat strategies."

    Capsule for Avernum 3: Ruined World Avernum 3: Ruined World

    "Players explore multiple paths, recruit different characters, and try various combat tactics and choices."

  • Exploration

    Game with the same Exploration vibe

    3

    "Game features diverse, detailed environments with hidden secrets and non-linear navigation."

    Capsule for SharpShooter3D SharpShooter3D

    "Game features semi-open segmented world with hidden areas, secrets, and non-linear exploration."

  • Expression

    Game with the same Expression vibe

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    "Character customization is limited to skill development and party selection; no avatar personalization or cosmetic mods noted."

    Capsule for Criminal Girls: Invite Only Criminal Girls: Invite Only

    "Character customization is limited to party composition and equipment; no avatar personalization or cosmetic mods."

  • Fantasy

    Game with the same Fantasy vibe

    3

    "Set in a post-apocalyptic fictional world with imaginative characters and scenarios blending dark humor and surreal elements."

    Capsule for Wasteland 3 Wasteland 3

    "Set in a surreal post-apocalyptic world with bizarre characters and events, blending dark fiction and absurdity."

  • Fellowship

    Game with the same Fellowship vibe

    -4

    "Single-player experience with limited social interaction or community involvement."

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    "Single-player experience focused on individual journey with limited social interaction or community involvement."

  • Growth

    Game with the same Growth vibe

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    "Characters level up, gain new skills, and players develop strategies to overcome challenges."

    Capsule for Paper Sorcerer Paper Sorcerer

    "Players develop skills, level up characters, and learn strategies to overcome difficult challenges."

  • Health

    Game with the same Health vibe

    -4

    "Sedentary gameplay with reports of addiction and excessive play; no physical activity involved."

    Capsule for Megabonk Megabonk

    "Sedentary gameplay with themes of drug addiction and emotional trauma; no physical activity involved."

  • Idle

    Game with the same Idle vibe

    -3

    "Requires focused attention due to challenging gameplay and story progression."

    Capsule for Call of Juarez Call of Juarez

    "Requires sustained attention and focus due to challenging combat and story-driven gameplay."

  • Intimacy

    Game with the same Intimacy vibe

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    "Emotional connections to characters exist but limited to narrative; no close social relationships formed."

    Capsule for Yuppie Psycho: Executive Edition Yuppie Psycho: Executive Edition

    "Emotional connections are formed with characters but limited to narrative; no close social or romantic interactions."

  • Leadership

    Game with the same Leadership vibe

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    "Player leads a party of four characters, managing their actions and roles strategically."

    Capsule for The Fall of the Dungeon Guardians - Enhanced Edition The Fall of the Dungeon Guardians - Enhanced Edition

    "Player leads a party of up to four characters, making strategic decisions and managing team composition."

  • Progression

    Game with the same Progression vibe

    4

    "Players accumulate items, upgrades, and friendship levels to advance the story and gameplay."

    Capsule for Hello Kitty Island Adventure Hello Kitty Island Adventure

    "Players accumulate items, upgrades, and recruit characters to strengthen their party and advance the story."

  • Relaxation

    Game with the same Relaxation vibe

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    "The game induces sustained tension, emotional strain, and psychological challenge rather than relaxation."

    Capsule for Muv-Luv Alternative Muv-Luv Alternative

    "Game maintains tension and emotional strain with difficult choices and dark themes; not relaxing."

  • Sensation

    Game with the same Sensation vibe

    3

    "Enjoyable pixel art visuals and soundtrack provide sensory stimulation."

    Capsule for Dungreed Dungreed

    "Unique pixel art, disturbing imagery, and an experimental soundtrack provide strong sensory stimulation."

  • Status

    Game with the same Status vibe

    -4

    "Focus is on personal story and survival rather than social recognition or popularity."

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    "Focus is on personal narrative and survival rather than social recognition or popularity."

  • Story

    Game with the same Story vibe

    5

    "Strong narrative immersion with complex characters, moral dilemmas, and emotional storytelling."

    Capsule for Grotto Grotto

    "Deep narrative immersion with complex characters, moral dilemmas, and impactful story arcs."

  • Strategy

    Game with the same Strategy vibe

    4

    "Combat and party management require tactical thinking and planning."

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    "Combat and party management require tactical thinking, planning, and adaptation to challenging encounters."

  • Thrill

    Game with the same Thrill vibe

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    "High tension and risk with permadeath and challenging enemies create suspense and thrill."

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    "High stakes decisions, permadeath mechanics, and unpredictable outcomes create suspense and tension."

  • Value

    Game with the same Value vibe

    4

    "Offers many hours of gameplay, replayability, and a rich experience for the price."

    Capsule for Gothic 1 Gothic 1

    "Offers a rich, memorable experience with many hours of gameplay and replay value for a modest price."

  • Violence

    Game with the same Violence vibe

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    "Game contains graphic and dark themes with death scenes, gore, and combat emphasizing destruction."

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    "Game features brutal combat, permanent character deaths, and graphic depictions of violence and gore."

  • Survival

    Game with the same Survival vibe

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    "Players must manage resources and avoid threats to survive."

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    "Players must manage resources, avoid threats, and make difficult choices to keep party members alive."

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Last update: 01/06/2026