Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (Metacritic) | – | – | 0 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 95% | 90 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 92% | 87 | 21 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Acclaim gate: the raw blend lands at 89.3, but scores above 88 must be earned in front of a mass audience; this verdict rests on 15,167 player reviews, a largely self-selected fanbase. As more players weigh in, the ceiling rises (full scale unlocks at 100,000 reviews).
Scoring window: last 30 days (no significant patch detected) · 61 reviews sampled · 44 total reviews in window · weighted 42.9 up / 3.5 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (1)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 80
“Lisa: The Painful is just a perfect name for this game as it evokes such emotions while playing. Depending on the gamer though this dark, sometimes humorous, always shocking world could be just the ticket to see something polar opposite from say a Final Fantasy. I certainly walked away from this game not feeling the light and pride of finishing the usual RPG’s, Lisa: The Painful is a bleak experience but one that is worth it if you can stomach it.”
read full review ↗
ZTGDPatch history
- Major patch: localization, UI updates, and more!Aug 29, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- 7-28-23 Patch NotesJul 28, 2023
- LISA 7.21 UpdateJul 21, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- "Easy Mode" plus new content!Sep 11, 2015