Release Date: 26/05/2017
Played On: Win
Available On: Lin / Mac / Win
Time Played: 1h 57m
Progress: Completed
Developer: Kyle Seeley
Publisher: Kyle Seeley
NB: The screenshots used in this post are from the game's steam page.
It’s been a while since I posted, but I just finished playing Emily Is Away Too, and I'm feeling emotional and sad. I often fail to connect with games that lean on nostalgia and retrospective themes, but for some reason this series of little games has managed to rise up and punch me in the gut of memories with gusto. It's clear this sequel has had something of an effect on me, but I'm a little unsure as to what that effect might have been.
When I played the first instalment of Emily Is Away, I was taken on a journey back to the nights of my youth when I'd stay up late talking to friends on mIRC. There was something about the writing that managed to capture the same feelings and teen melodrama that seemed important and vital in that moment. With this actually-pay-for-it sequel, the sentimental train continues to roll and I found myself transported once again to the angst and emotional dissonance I'm all too happy to have since left behind.
Although, what strikes me most about playing Emily Is Away Too, was the quality of the writing and how important it was in the overall experience. The first game seemed to stand out for its ability to recreate a virtual desktop of times past, which is once again present in this version, but what really made me stop and take notice were the words I was reading.
Speaking generally, this game is very similar to the first, as we are presented with a fictional text chat program where we get to talk to our friend Emily over a set period of time. Each chapter of the game deals with a single moment in time, and a single conversation that will end up making an impact on what comes next. With each chapter comes a change in time and circumstance, moving the lives of each character forward based on whatever was discussed previously.
It would be easy to reduce the story to a typical teen drama, as most of the content is about falling in love and navigating the social landscape of growing up. Mild spoilers here, but much like the first game, the player character can choose whether to admit their feelings for Emily, or another friend Evelyn. Depending on those choices along the way, the story can take a few interesting (albeit predictable) turns. If you've ever been a teenager chatting with a crush online who is taking forever to appreciate how good a listener you are… then you're most of the way to understanding Emily Is Away Too.
What worries me about the appeal of a game like this, is that I wonder how universal these experiences actually are, and whether most players would be able to directly relate to the material. I know how banal regular old teem drama can be at the best of times, so I'd hate to think of slogging through this kind of game without any sentimental recollections to motivate one's interest. Furthermore, I'd love to know how much of this is a generational thing, as I'm sure the teens of today have had markedly different experiences with technology and how they communicate with one another. Then again, perhaps the major themes of the story are universal after all, and most of us know what it's like to have those deep and meaningful conversations about nothing and everything all at once.
Thankfully, for my money, the writing in Emily Is Away Too managed to deliver a strong story that I found eerily accurate and reminiscent of my past. The technology might be a little different, but the content remains the same. In fact, I followed the story so closely and was reminded of my own past so intimately, that when the game finally came to an end, I didn't quite know what to do with myself. I felt as though I'd just ended an intense conversation with someone online and felt the weight of it all bearing down on me. For that, I have to applaud the game for fulfilling its promise and hitting the mark on what can often be a misguided cash-in on faux nostalgia.
Not that this is a game without its flaws, as there are many limitations inherent to the design that sometimes spoil the atmosphere, no matter how unavoidable they actually are. In fact the most striking mood-killer in the game is the dialogue system itself, which has seen no real change from the first game and continues to be as frustrating as it is functional and well put together.
Essentially, during each conversation we are given three choices for how we want to respond to our friend. While these are often a clear distinction between positive/neutral/negative, there are times when an actual conversation would call for more nuance and definition. Unfortunately, these moments are often during the most intense dialogues in the game, so it becomes even more obvious that you're unable to say precisely what you would say in real life, and I found myself getting frustrated with the limitations of the system. At the same time though, the dialogue system works well for most of the game and is obviously a limitation imposed by scope. It's an understandable shortcoming of a small indie game, but it still manages to create some of the most dissonant moments in the game, as it's only when what you say really begins to matter, that you find yourself unable to say what you'd really want to.
Nevertheless, everything else in Emily Is Away Too has been given the same attention to detail and care as the first instalment. There are even old web site mock-ups to visit when you're sent a link to an old Facebook page or YouTube video. They open in your desktop browser and are actual sites that have been made for the purpose of the game, which goes a long way to enhancing the overall immersive nature of chatting with a virtual friend. I have to admit that I had a little moment of glee every time I opened up a new link and saw an old design of something I remembered from when I was in school. It's these little touches that show just how polished this series manages to be.
At the end of the day, that's the real charm of Emily Is Away Too, as it creates a small slice of life that teleported me back to those nights I spent at home, talking shit with my friends online. So many media properties try to cash in on nostalgia these days (just look at all the faux 90s themes going around), but none of them really manage to get it right. It's easy to see the difference when actual care and attention has been given to ensure the accuracy of the design, and coupled with some excellent writing that could have been ripped straight from my own historical chat logs, I enjoyed this sequel a whole lot.
I'm still curious about how well this kind of sentimentality hits with other players who may have not had similar experiences, but I hope that it does manage to relate in some form or another. Mostly because I'd like to see other people enjoy themselves with this series as much as I have so far. There may be some misses and limitations baked into these small games, but the overwhelming result is a successful and elegant simulation of a time period that brought about unique and new ways to communicate. I really enjoyed being taken back in time once again, even if it brought up some old emotional wounds and left me feeling sad and confused. To get that kind of response is an achievement in itself.