Game Review: Emily is Away & Emily is Away Too
Do you remember the good old days that we used MSN or other IMs to chat with friends and used to change our status all the time and our profiles were full of lyrics and other “deep” quotes? I still feel nostalgic about those days sometimes but it is not something I would like to go back to due to the embarrassment that goes with it. Teenage years and whatnot…Well, Emily is Away is exactly that and it is as nostalgic and fun as you can imagine.
Gameplay
Emily is Away takes place entirely in front of a computer monitor and an open messenger. When you begin, you are given the option to choose a screen name and an icon from the library provided. You will have your list of friends on the left side but you can only chat with one of them, Emily, or in the case of the second game, Emily and Evelyn. You can, however, read the profiles or the other people. Now, what is the point of this game, right?
As the player you basically have to chat with the girl(s) to get the best outcome for you. You are given 3 choices every time you need to reply and then you type your answer. Mind you, you can’t type whatever comes to your mind, but according to the choice you previously made. The game provides different endings and if you want to find them all, you’ll have to act differently every time. In my case, I started with what I consider to be my honest thoughts and replied as if I was actually on a real chat.
The game has man chapters and each one takes place sometime into the future so it’s not like you’ll be chatting for a few days but instead years could pass by. Each chapter has different length but it is easy to finish the whole game in one go, if you don’t mind typing for too long.
The first game doesn’t take too long to finish but the second has way more dialogue and content. You can even watch videos on “YouToob”, transfer files, and browse profiles on “Facenook”. Because the game takes place in the past, the whole look is very retro which I love and is what attracted me to this game in the first place.
Pricing & Availability
The first game is available for free and the second is available on Steam, Humble Bundle, and itch.io for $5.
Conclusion
If you want to relive some of your old memories, and play a game that requires little from you, then Emily is Away will keep you good company. It is funny, cute, and even bittersweet depending on what choices you made. Let us know your thoughts and impressions below.
Download Emily is Away on Steam here.
Download Emily is Away Too on Steam, Humble Bundle, itch.io.
Emily is Away screenshots (above) and trailer (below)
