Lovely Mild Puzzling: Lisa
A short free game
Wandering around Lisa is so pleasant that it almost seems a shame to solve the adventure game's puzzles. On this grey London day, I had a lovely time wandering around its meadow, listening to the birds and the breeze, and tapping my toes to its music. And chasing the sheep. Sorry, sheep. It's short, it's free, and it's delightful, which are three qualities I greatly appreciate on a Friday afternoon.
"It's a game about herding sheep and exploring a forest," says creator 'rubna', who created the game as a birthday present for his friend Lisa. Bless. You control both her and the dog at the same time, split between mouse and keyboards, so there's a nice feeling of them belonging together. Characters communicate with pictograms and funny noises, making it a bit like a children's cartoon. It's all so warm and lovely, showing Rubna's affection for his pal.
I haven't finished Lisa, I should say. I got stuck on a puzzle the first time, meowing at everything, then I chased a sheep somewhere I couldn't scare it out of. Bloody daft creatures. Perhaps the babbling brook turns red with blood as pillars of flesh and bone rise from the meadow, the skies are darkened by a billion locusts, the dog tears itself inside-out, and Lisa dances around naked but for the skull she tore out a screaming lamb's face and wears somewhere lewd. That would be a surprise.
Here, enjoy several minutes of Lisa and the dog standing still around in the meadow as life goes on. Don't mind the weird aspect ratio, that's just the game: