Emily is Away Too
  • 15 Playing
  • 1.9K Backlogs
  • 17 Replays
  • 2.2% Retired
  • 72% Rating
  • 1.1K Beat
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Rapid_Shadow

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60%PC

4h 59m Played
Emily is Away Too

=== [Player Base: ] ===
☑ Casual players
☐ Hardcore players

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☐ Kids
☑ Teens
☐ Adults
☐ Everyone
☐ Mature

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☐ Doesn't have it
☐ Bad
☑ Average
☐ Good
☐ Fantastic

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☐ Really bad
☐ Bad
☑ OK
☐ Good
☐ Beautiful
☐ Masterpiece

===[]===
☑ Easy Peasy
☐ Easy to learn but hard to master
☐ Medium
☐ Hard
☐ Dark Souls

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☑ Really short ( 0 - 2 hours)
☐ Short ( 2 - 8 hours)
☐ Average ( 8 - 12 hours)
☐ Long ( 12+ hours)
☐ Endless

===[]===
☑ Toaster
☐ Average
☐ Solid Medium
☐ High end
☐ Unoptimized

===[]===
☑ Full price
☐ Wait for sale
☐ Don't do it
☐ Free

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☐ Game itself is a bug
☐ Lot of bugs
☐ Few Bugs
☑ Nothing

Gameplay
Emily is Away Too is a 2017 indie visual novel. It is the spiritual successor to the 2015 video game Emily is Away. The game is primarily set in an instant messaging chat client, taking place during the protagonist’s last year of high school. The player talks to other characters by selecting different responses, and specific choices change the course of the plot throughout the game.

Review
This visual novel can hit you right in the feels, especially if you we're born in the same era (06/07) when MSN and AOL was around. The good'ol Windows XP, I can't relate to anything like this but I can see why people got emotional. It just goes to show that one person can really screw everything up for you when you make one simple mistake.

Emily.... you're one cruel ♥♥♥♥♥

■■■■■■□□□□ 6 / 10

Review to Emily is Away: https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198202022263/recommended/417860/

Review to Emily is Away <3: https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561198202022263/recommended/978460/
Updated 1 Month Ago
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MozartDaniel

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65%PC

12h 27m Played
Having played the original one many years ago, I bought this on a whim a while back, forgot about it and now I finally decided to give it a go.

This sequel aims so much higher, as shown by the price tag. There are many interesting design choices, such as having links send to you by the girls, which in my opinion raises the immersion so much, and it's such a clever way of including copyrighted music and incorporating it to the story.

I was even playing it as if I was just casually chatting with a friend. Like, I would browse online, doing my usual stuff, while also playing the game. I didn't meant to do that, I usually prefer to fully focus when gaming, it just kind of happened here, and such experience really brought back the memories.

This is a game for a specific generation, or the generation right after that one. The whole culture the game represents is gone now., which is crazy to say because it hasn't even been 20 years.

Even if there are some beats of the story that feel artificial, like a girl talking to you exactly after you're done talking to the other girl, or both having almost the same conversation at the same time, the story is solid enough for anyone to enjoy, at least the first time.

I do not recommend anyone to play Emily is Away Too a second, or a third time. Being a choice-based, story-driven, game, you'd expect that to be a given. I'd say to stay away from the game once you're done with it.

Played for 12 hours and 30 minutes on PC through Steam. Got all of the achievements and 3 different endings, which brings me to...

**Mild spoilers for the rest of the review:**
I first got a bad ending for being inconsistent with some of my choices. I decided I wanted to see the other bad ending, and figured I needed to go back to chapter 3 in order to do so. I did, only to regret it almost immediately.

When it comes to the bad endings I got, the dialogue for both of the girls is identical. Except for like literal sentences in over an hour worth of dialogue. The situation is the very same as well. This was very dissapointing, and there's no way to speed up the process, the answers or anything really. What was immersive before, becomes tedium here.
Updated 2.5 Months Ago
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Robee2k

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70%PC

2h 31m Played
A very good game that you can beat in only one sitting.
Updated 3 Months Ago
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FefnirIRL

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60%PC

1h 35m Played
Second verse, same as the first! But a whole lot longer and really not worse! The developer really hit their groove with this entry- it's more than just the 20-30 minutes you got with the first one, there's multiple endings, multiple people to talk to; it's just got a lot more content, though the content remains the same. You're still in high school chatting throughout the years and you get to craft your experience to reflect the type of person you are, (or want to be).

I need to double back on a point I made reviewing the first game- its authenticity. Once again, this game and its dialogue just come across as very genuine and authentic, and truthfully, made me feel just like I did in high school. I don't know if this is a universal experience or not; maybe it just hit different for me because I did spend some time on AOL messenger in my youth, but the immersion was just spot-on for me. I don't think just any writer can capture the soul of a 2000s teen like that, but this dev sure did.

I think this game serves the same purpose as the original; if you want a nice, nostalgic trip down memory lane, this game will provide those feelings in spades. If you enjoyed the first one, there's no reason you shouldn't pick this up as well.
Updated 4.5 Months Ago
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Nikkilite

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70%PC

2h 18m Played
I liked it more than i thought i would, way better than the first game at least.
I loved the integration of using a website, and the music made me feel really nostalgic.
Updated 9.5 Months Ago
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MrGuy

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85%PC

ReplayReplay
not only are we dealing with two girls now, sometimes simultaneously (seriously it gets so frantic), the choices you make here matter a fuck ton, but it isn't obvious until the end.
Updated 9.5 Months Ago
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Vector99i

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60%PC

3h Played
The game is a slight improvement on the original game, as it features some. It features a decent story between you and two friends where you decide the course of action between some options, but sadly, it still feels somewhat limited. The game is a 6.25/10.
Updated 10 Months Ago
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wiedo

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70%PC

2h 3m Played
It’s really more of the same as the same game but with some nice stuff happening outside of the game which is neat. Also juggling conversations is new. I really like this experience of early 2000s relationship counseling and smooth talking.
Updated 1 Year Ago
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Private

nantenknight's Avatar'

90%PC

2h 24m Played
Playing through Emily Is Away Too was an incredibly nostalgic experience for me because, like the characters in this game, I was also a senior in high school in 2006-2007. This game does an excellent job of conveying what it was like to be a teenager in that era. It takes you back to the early days of social media and YouTube, the peak of MySpace and AIM's popularity, back before anyone had a smartphone and before everyone you knew was on social media. On top of that, it tells an engaging story with branching paths and makes you feel like your choices truly matter. I really enjoyed it.
Updated 1.5 Years Ago
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vivak25

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70%PC

3h Played
UGH, a HAPPY ending? GETTING a girlfriend? Boooooooring.
Updated 1.5 Years Ago
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PublicLewdness

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90%Linux

2h PlayedReplay
It’s not often that a game’s sequel fixes many problems I had with the original without adding in new issues or changing too much. Emily is Away Too manages this feat very nicely. I thought Emily is Away was a great game but I felt the game lacked options in the way the story went and that it would have been nice to have manual saves. The sequel addresses my first concern by adding a second character you interact with and allowing you options to end up with either of them. So you go from the one ending to three possible endings as you can choose to romance one of them or stay single and friends with them. They didn’t add in manual saves which I wanted but they did add mid chapter auto saves so it does save more frequently then the original. The game still retains the fantastic sounds and interfaces that the original had as well as having great throwbacks to the movies and music of the time period. The game can be a bit rigid with certain rules. For instance when each of the girls consider hanging out with you they take into account having slightly different music or game tastes. It is a bit realistic I guess as some humans probably do that but looking at it objectively if you enjoy conversing with someone and have a connection then refuse to hang out because you like FPS games and they like RPGs it’s a bit weak of an excuse. That being said one of them actually mentions this later in the game so maybe I’m over analyzing it. The conversation system still has realistic dialogue that I could have seen myself having at that age and the story has a natural progression to it. There was one chapter where you have to attempt to talk to both of them at once with each response being timed. I’m not sure if it can be beat without one of them thinking you aren’t paying attention due to failing to respond in time but I tried my damnedest with my hands probably looking like Hugh Jackman hacking the DOD in Swordfish but still failed. It actually added some tension to an otherwise light game but was an impressive challenge.

I played Emily is Away Too on Linux. It did have one crash where when I launched the game the window just flickered and I couldn’t get the game to quit. I ended up having to do a hard restart. Other than that I had no issues. The game also doesn’t have a full screen option, just windowed mode. It uses the Unity engine. I played version 1.1.28.1933 of the game.

Disk Space Used: 107MB
VRAM Usage: 457-518 MB
CPU Usage: 1-4 %
RAM usage: 2.5-2.8 GB
Frame Rate: 64-75 FPS (Not that it matters in this game)

If you enjoyed Emily is Away you should enjoy the sequel as well. It adds some good features to the game; explores some different stories; and retains what made the original special. I paid $4.99 USD for it and feel that is fantastic value. I would have happily paid $20 for it. I finished it in 2 hours but felt it was a good length and didn’t feel stretched or thin.

My Score: 9.5/10

My System:

AMD Ryzen 5 2600X | 16GB DDR4-3000 CL15 | MSI RX 5700 XT Gaming X 8GB | Mesa 20.0.6 | Samsung 970 Evo Plus 500GB | Manjaro 20.0.1 | Mate 1.24 | Kernel 5.6.11-1-MANJARO
Updated 1.5 Years Ago
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Pleasant

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80%PC

2h 23m Played
amazing game, but these games always live me with a bitter taste in my mouth. just,, ugh.
Updated 2.5 Years Ago
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AwesomeNick94

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80%PC

Would've been a 100% if it weren't for the nonsense they can pull in Chapter 5.
Updated 3.5 Years Ago
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WaffSwag

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70%PC

7h 5m Played
Fun with good sounds and atmosphere.
Updated 3.5 Years Ago
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Sappho114

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80%PC

3h 11m Played
A cute, distractive time capsule back to the early days I barely remember. Fun, albeit bittersweet and worthwhile if you like narratives where you can mess things up.
Updated 3.5 Years Ago
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Lungkisser

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60%PC

2h 24m Played
It was good but didn't really leave a last impression.
Updated 3.5 Years Ago
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Private

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90%PC

3h Played
A game where my choices had real consequences, very fun dating sim.
Updated 4 Years Ago
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Lynec

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90%PC

2h 55m Played
Great expansion on the first game. Very good story once again and some very welcome changes and new features.
Updated 5 Years Ago
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DrFirewall

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60%PC

It's really extraordinary,how this game compares to the previous one. First of all it's undeniably better. Both in plan and execution. It uses the chat client mechanic to it's full potential and everything you say,the slightest detail can be used against you if you aren't paying enough attention. The game starts generic and lazy but step by step cleverly it builds up tension and can easily catch you off-guard. More or less the script is realistic even if melodramatic and this time it doesn't depend on nostalgia bait to emotionally interract with the player. The first game was impossible to be taken seriously due to the over-the-top melodrama and-well- it's extremely short length. Emily Is Away Too is fortunately longer and takes enough time to develop it's characters. This way the endings feel more authentic and it can get some emotions out of you. Plus the twist ending if you didn't pay attention is enough to make play the game all over again just to see the other endings (which are also decent). A huge upgrade from the 1st game that feels more like a remake than a sequel. Well written,unpredictable and captivating,Emily Is Away Too is what the previous entry should have been.
Updated 5 Years Ago
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silversurfpunk

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100%PC

5h Played
The intensity of emotions only ramps up more drastically in this sequel.
Updated 5.5 Years Ago
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Lizak3

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60%Linux

3h 54m Played
Little better than 1, more endings.
First was free, second is for about 5€.
5€ for 3h is little too expansive imo.
Updated 5.5 Years Ago
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JOSHTYLER

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100%PC

3h Played
Steam Profile > https://steamcommunity.com/groups/TripleTeamGaming
Steam Group > https://steamcommunity.com/groups/TripleTeamGaming
Website > https://tripleteamgaming4.wixsite.com/tripleteamgaming
Updated 6 Years Ago
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MrHands81

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80%PC

2h 30m Played
Pros:
- Super nostalgic!!!
- Good length
- A choice really matters

Cons:
- Only one choice really matters...
Updated 6.5 Years Ago
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Private

Friendomorph's Avatar'

80%PC

2h 20m Played
I think this game is a nostalgic hit in the heart for anyone who grew up using AIM. It's short enough not to wear out its charm, I did use Cheat Engine to speed up the game to 2x speed though, since I found the default speed to be sort of slow. Sometimes the dialogue is pretty cheesy, depending on the choices you make. But there is something very human about it that is refreshing.
Updated 6.5 Years Ago
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justsomeguytom

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100%PC

4h Played
Nostalgic.
Updated 6.5 Years Ago
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Gagerzzzz

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80%PC

2h 30m Played
Fun to interact with the characters throughout this story, ending that left me wanting so much more.
Updated 7 Years Ago