Brad Armstrong

> *.‘'*
>
> *Brad’s description*

***Brad Armstrong’'** is a playable character in* IndieVisible*, being the sole representative of the LISA series. In* IndiVisible*, Brad uses the various abilities and skills he learns and uses throughout LISA: The Painful RPG, where he stars as the protagonist.*

## Playstyle

In the original LISA: THE PAINFUL, Brad Armstrong, being the party member intended to stay at all times, had the potential to be one of the strongest members, but at the same time, had several drawbacks that could make him a hindrance rather than an asset. The same is true for *IndieVisible*. Brad has the potential to be one of the strongest characters on the roster, having several hard-hitting attacks that can KO quite easily. Combined with his heavy weight and respectable movement speed, Brad can be a force to be reckoned with in the right hands.

However, just like in the original LISA: THE PAINFUL, Brad has a noticeable flaw to his playstyle in the form of a unique gimmick known as ‘Drug Withdrawal’. Every 30 seconds, Brad will switch to his regular high strength to a much weaker state due to withdrawal. In this state, Brad’s damage output and weight is reduced by a considerable amount, halving most of the damage he deals and halving his weight, making him far easier to launch. After 20 seconds of this, Brad will revert back to his normal, strong state. This repeats on a regular basis for the match, going from strong to weak every 30 seconds and weak to strong every 20 seconds. The only exception to this is when Brad is KOed, in which he will automatically switch to his strong state, no matter what state he was in when he was KOed or how long he was in his weak state.

Brad’s withdrawal mechanic doesn’t only affect his general strength and weight, but also changes his special attacks. A good example of this is his neutral special, which, when strong, is Fire Blast. This is a fairly strong close-range attack, though has good range in front of Brad to make up for it. Before firing it, the blast can be charged to deal more damage and have more range, making it far more powerful. Charged blasts can either be instantly fired when fully charged or saved for later via shielding, although the blast will be weaker when saved.

When in withdrawal, Brad’s neutral special changes to Firebomb. Far weaker than Fire Blast, this acts as a more generic projectile, traveling in an adjustable arc that explodes on contact with opponents or the stage. This attack’s main use is for spacing and zoning, mostly to make up for Brad’s far weaker strength in this stage, trading KO potential and damage for range and stage control.

When normal, Brad’s side special is Bicycle. When used, Brad will ride forward on a child’s bicycle, damaging opponents and popping them into the air when hit. Brad travels quite fast when riding, but gradually gets slower over time until the bicycle disappears on its own. Brad can jump off the bicycle at any time, in which it will continue cycling forwards to damage opponents, which can lead into possible follow-ups or, when offstage, can help in recovery.

When in withdrawal, his side special changes to Cart Slam. Instead of a bicycle, Brad rides on a shopping cart. It loses speed a lot faster, especially when Brad rides it, and is overall far less suited for recovery. However, the cart deals slightly more damage than the bicycle when Brad is riding it. Brad can jump off the cart as normal, but if an opponent is hit by it, instead of being popped into the air like normal, they will be trapped in the cart temporarily, with it continuing to move forward. Opponents can mash out of the cart to escape sooner, but this move can be useful for set-ups or early KOs against an unskilled opponent, allowing them to get driven off-stage. Overall, Cart Slam is more for offense and trapping opponents rather than speed and recovery, which Bicycle is more suited for.

Normally, Brad’s up special is Endless Rope. When used, Brad begins climbing on a rope that reaches from the top to the bottom of the stage. If a solid platform is in the way of the rope, it will instead stop there. In this state, Brad can quickly climb up and down the rope, allowing him to easily recover from off-stage, provided he is not damaged while climbing. Brad is significantly faster when descending the rope than climbing up it, allowing him to quickly go down the stage to punish or gimp opponents. Brad can also jump off the rope to assist in recovery, although after jumping, he cannot make another rope until landing on the ground.

During withdrawal, Brad’s up special changes to Large Fan. Being a far more traditional recovery, Brad simply flaps the fan upward to gain vertical height. Unlike Endless Rope, this move is more useful as a basic recovery move and nothing more, as it cannot damage opponents nor has the versatility Endless Rope provides.

Brad’s down special, Horse Stance, is a different type of ability compared to the others. Unlike the other specials, this one only increases Brad’s strength for 5 seconds, with him dealing more damage and knockback. Considering Brad is already quite a powerful character, this can make him extremely deadly, being able to KO quite easily even at early percentages. The main drawback of this move is the time it takes to actually apply the buff, being around a second long, a punishable time frame. The other drawback of this move is that it cannot be used at all during withdrawal, with no equivalent for it either, meaning in a regular, competitive match, there is no possible way to increase Brad’s strength during withdrawal without either being KOed or waiting for withdrawal to end.

Brad’s main flaws are most likely obvious by now, but his biggest weakness is his Drug Withdrawal mechanic. During withdrawal, Brad is far weaker, with his strength and weight being halved. This means that he is far more vulnerable to most fighters on the roster, being able to be KOed easier and makes it much harder for him to punish his opponents for doing so. Though the withdrawal only lasts 20 seconds and the normal, strong state lasting longer, the 20 seconds that withdrawal lasts can still be enough time for opponents to exploit, and Brad can find himself at a heavy disadvantage during it.

Overall, Brad is a character who relies on quickly adapting one’s strategy to his various states and the general flow of battle, with his normal state being more focused on getting up close and dealing devastating KO moves, and his withdrawal state being more for spacing out opponents and staying far from them to keep them from exploiting his poorer damage output and weight. Even when considering his drawbacks, Brad still has the potential to be a powerful opponent, and improvising and adapting to the changes that can happen in battle is key to overcoming his opponents.

## Moveset

### On-screen Appearance

* Brad appears from a large black shadow that expands and disappears.

### Taunts

* **Up Taunt** - Brad uses Joy on himself.
* **Side Taunt** - Brad begins to cry silently.
* **Down Taunt** - Brad sits down and stares at a flower in his hands.

### Idle Poses

* Brad looks side-to-side.
* Brad sighs deeply.

### Victory Pose

* Brad walks up to an unlit campfire and falls asleep.

## Win Quotes

Brad is a silent character, and thus lacks win quotes of any kind.

## Arcade Mode Route

Brad's Arcade Mode route is titled ***TBA***.

Like all other Arcade Mode routes for other characters, there is unique pre-fight banter before each fight.

## Trivia

* Brad's codename is **Friend**, which is another word for Buddy, the name of Brad's adopted daughter
* Brad is one of few characters to lack unique post-fight dialog, simply saying "...". He shares this detail with The Knight, Henry Stickmin, Carrion, OMORI, Hat Kid, Madotsuki, Quote, Isaac, and The Lost.