A Note from Dingaling and Serenity Forge About Content Changes

Hey all, we want to discuss some content changes made to LISA for the Definitive Edition across different platforms. With LISA coming to consoles like PlayStation and Nintendo Switch, it’s something some of you have asked about. People are worried that based on the game’s content, LISA might be unduly censored in order to comply with the rules of these platforms in a way that harms its humor, world, or artistic integrity. We at Serenity Forge, alongside Dingaling, wanted to take the time to talk about these changes and the thinking behind them.

LISA contains sensitive content that is designed to move players out of complacency, to put them into a world that’s absurd and inappropriate, and to prompt players to confront how they feel in these specific moments. We feel confident in the direction and purpose of LISA’s content, but we also know that certain platforms have regulations that we have to follow.

There have been two specific changes to the game across all platforms. Specifically, the Salvation Ranger introduction and Junior’s flashback have had small alterations made to them. Whether or not to make these changes was not easy to decide, but ultimately it became an exciting prospect to alter some content in a small way in hopes that it welcomes and includes more players.

The Heart of LISA

Preserving the original content of the game has always been really important to us all, but the changes we decided to make on our own were ultimately done to better express the main themes and values of the game. Many characters in this game are miserable people persisting off of lies and fantasies. To a degree, you will always be dealing with inappropriate characters and circumstances in this game. Feeling uncomfortable and questioning motives is a big part of it. It's designed this way, but to what degree? And for what purpose?

The stories, jokes, and characters of LISA are never meant to attack or denigrate who someone is as a person. Instead, they are meant to motivate reflection. And although the game features dark characters, it doesn't want to wallow in this notion. Quite the opposite. Even when the world feels like it's completely lost and you are all alone in this mess, you still have to take care of yourself.

You still have to find a purpose, find what you love. We all deserve it, and we are in this together. Buried underneath all the chaos, that's what LISA is about. And if only a tiny piece of that resonates with even just one player, we will have done things right.

Platform-Specific Changes

In a similar vein, a few more changes were made on PlayStation only in order to launch the game on that platform, but we're happy to say that none of them affect the meaning and intent of LISA. For the PlayStation version of LISA, we’ve added a notice about the protagonists at the beginning of the game. Additionally, cigarettes have been renamed to ‘cigarette candy,’ Joy is no longer referred to as ‘pills,’ and alcohol has been renamed as ‘soda’ in Joyful only (characters still drink alcohol in Painful). Basically, the changes are not a big deal. We just wanted to make everyone aware of it in advance, because we know that LISA fans will notice it as a difference from the original games.

Apart from this, all legacy versions of the game will remain available as launch options on Steam.