How to defeat Charmy in Lisa: Definitive Edition

As you struggle your way through the early sections of Lisa: Definitive Edition, you’ll find yourself coming up against a recurring obstacle: small gaps in the level geometry. Since your character Brad can’t jump horizontally, these gaps prevent you from reaching much of the game, until you acquire the crucial tool required to get over them: a child’s bicycle. This mythical object is available fairly early on, but there’s a catch: to claim it, you’ll need to defeat Charmy, the horrific first boss in Lisa: Definitive Edition. Read on for a full guide on how to do so.

How to lay Charmy to rest in Lisa: Definitive Edition

Preparation

If the rest of the game is hard, then the bosses in Lisa are even harder, demanding high character levels and solid strategies to defeat. Charmy, despite being the first one you’ll face, is no exception, meaning you’ll need to bring your A-game if you want to bring him down. As with most turn-based RPGs, the key here is preparation: the real battle is won out in the world, as you recruit characters and grind levels, not within the fight itself.

To this end, there are a few things you’ll want to sort out before going up against Charmy. The first is a full party of four characters. At this point in the game, there are only five possible characters you can recruit, including the weak-early-on Terry Hintz, so you’ll effectively need to catch ‘em all if you want to stand a chance against Charmy.

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Two of the characters, Rage and Olan, can be recruited from the bar you find early on, for 70 and 20 Mags, respectively. Both are solid damage dealers, Olan in particular, and both should be recruited as early as possible so you can get started on leveling them up. Your fourth party member can either be Terry Hintz, who will join your party by default, or Nern, who you can recruit by listening to his drawn-out monologue on Nern’s Cliff. He’s more useful than Terry, so we’d recommend swapping those two once you’ve recruited Nern, Rage, and Olan.

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Next, you’ll need to do some grinding, both for levels and for Mags, which you can use to buy better equipment for your party. You can grind both efficiently in the dark cave, where Shadowy Figure enemies spawn in constantly. These aren’t too hard to beat, and give both experience and Mags each time. You should aim for level eight or nine with all four of your party members before you challenge Charmy, and you should pick up better armor for each of them in Aurora Town, and better weapons from the wardrobe man on the way to the factory as well.

The battle itself

Screenshot by PC Invasion

Once you’re all set, head out across the snake-infested fields to reach the playground where Charmy lies in wait. An old man in front will give you a brief warning, then you can head right to challenge him head-on. The fight itself isn’t particularly complex, but Charmy has high HP and deals high damage, meaning it’ll be a tough endurance fight however you slice it. Always try to use the most damaging move you have access to for each party member. At this point, this will likely be Machine Gun Fist for Brad, Finger Beam for Nern, Big Shot for Olan, and Tackle Rush for Rage. There’s little reason to vary up these attacks, other than running out of SP, since Charmy doesn’t react in different ways to different moves, so you should always use those that deal the most damage when you can.

It’s also worth noting that Firebombs are quite effective against Charmy as well, and can deal continuous damage over the course of the fight. These can be received randomly after resting, or crafted at the generator back in the New Roads area if you have empty bottles to spare. They’re not mandatory, as we finished the fight fine without them, but they can make things easier.

Rewards

Charmy is a long fight, but keep at it, keep healing when necessary, and you’ll defeat him without much trouble. Once you do, your party will receive a massive 2000 Exp, and you’ll be able to proceed right to where the Child’s Bicycle sits. Collect it, and you’ll be able to leap over those small gaps no problem, opening up the next section of the game to explore.

And that’s that: a full guide on how to defeat Charmy in Lisa: Definitive Edition. It’s a harsh introduction to the higher-level enemies in the game, but one that’s definitely manageable if you follow the advice listed here.