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Emily is Away: AOL Instant Messenger narrative game (creakydooropen.wav)

M

Miker

Member
emily-is-away-header.jpg
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As seen on RPS: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2015/10/07/emily-is-away-chat-client-game/

Developer's description:
Remember a time before Facebook and Skype? When Windows XP was the next big thing and AIM was king. Relive that era with Emily is Away. Create a screenname and browse buddy infos in this chat-bot-meets-adventure game.

“Explore your relationship with Emily, a fellow high school student, in a branching narrative where you choose the outcome. And most importantly, change your text color to lime green so people know you’re the coolest kid in school.
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Hi-res in-game screenshots:
%2BumkQn.gif
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FZllGm.gif
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Gameplay trailer: https://youtu.be/LHpf9k1O01c
Website here

Whew. I have no idea what the story is about or how the branching narrative will play out, but damn if those sound effects don't take me back. There's been a lot of 90s nostalgia pandering on the Internet in general lately, but this looks like it'll be actually authentic and interesting.
 
5

5amshift

Banned
Played this at BostonFIG and liked it. Devs gave me a copy of the game on disc and I have yet to play through it all..
 
H

harrisk954

Member
So funny.... lot's of nostalgia there with the Windows startup sound and the AOL sounds....

But, it seems rather limited in choices as you have to retype one of the 3 options they give you for each reply. Not too sure how fun that would be.

I remember the old text adventures when I was young, like Zork. Even back then, you had to just type in commands/responses/etc. and figure out appropriate instructions off the top of your head.... Although it was pretty rudimentary, it worked pretty well for the time.

With today's tech, this game seems to be so limiting and, even though you are given the illusion of choice, it seems like you don't have it. It is much more basic than even the "choices" in a Telltale game, without the janky graphics.. Plus, why would you have to retype one of the 3 options. At that point, I would rather just click on my response and "play" it like a choose your own adventure book.
 
T

The Right Deal

Banned
If the game is true to life you'll just type out a big, long explanation of your feelings to Emily, stare at it all night, but never have the balls to send it. Flash forward 15 years and you're just some nobody spending his days at work on a video game forum.
 
J

Johndoey

Banned
The Right Deal said:
If the game is true to life you'll just type out a big, long explanation of your feelings to Emily, stare at it all night, but never have the balls to send it. Flash forward 15 years and you're just some nobody spending his days at work on a video game forum.
Click to expand...

Type out fifty variants of a message to ask her out on a date then chicken out and delete all of them.
I can't stop crying
 
C

Cowie

Member
Man, I sure am the target demographic for this game

but the nostalgia is so strong it's giving me anxiety

'Hey, remember highschool?' the game? Not sure that I'm up for that, lol. It's pretty cool all the same.
 
S

sturgboski

Member
The Right Deal said:
If the game is true to life you'll just type out a big, long explanation of your feelings to Emily, stare at it all night, but never have the balls to send it. Flash forward 15 years and you're just some nobody spending his days at work on a video game forum.
Click to expand...

You are making my autobiography sound really boring.
 
T

taco543

Member
I seriously thought this was going to be a horror game and got excited. Watched the video and am now disappoint.
 
D

dallow_bg

nods at old men
The Right Deal said:
If the game is true to life you'll just type out a big, long explanation of your feelings to Emily, stare at it all night, but never have the balls to send it. Flash forward 15 years and you're just some nobody spending his days at work on a video game forum.
Click to expand...

Oof.
 
M

MNC

Member
harrisk954 said:
So funny.... lot's of nostalgia there with the Windows startup sound and the AOL sounds....

But, it seems rather limited in choices as you have to retype one of the 3 options they give you for each reply. Not too sure how fun that would be.

I remember the old text adventures when I was young, like Zork. Even back then, you had to just type in commands/responses/etc. and figure out appropriate instructions off the top of your head.... Although it was pretty rudimentary, it worked pretty well for the time.

With today's tech, this game seems to be so limiting and, even though you are given the illusion of choice, it seems like you don't have it. It is much more basic than even the "choices" in a Telltale game, without the janky graphics.. Plus, why would you have to retype one of the 3 options. At that point, I would rather just click on my response and "play" it like a choose your own adventure book.
Click to expand...

You just select the choices.
 
M

Miker

Member
Wonder if there's a minigame where you set alerts so you know exactly when Emily comes back from away.
 
A

AmyS

Member
off-topic

AOL Instant Messenger was the only form of social media I enjoyed, even though AIM wasn't social media.

AIM > Facebook, Twitter
 
P

Purple Cheeto

Member
There are a couple of games on Apple Watch like this, Lifeline and The Martian. They don't have the nostalgia factor going for them but the idea is similar.
 
C

CB3

intangibles, motherfucker
Wow. What a weird crazy thing.

It does a really cool job capturing the early 2000's AIM experience.
If there are multiple endings i probably got the worst one. Although i think it would be cool if they all ended the same way no matter what you chose.
 
TwoDurans

TwoDurans

"Never said I wasn't a hypocrite."
CB3 said:
Wow. What a weird crazy thing.

It does a really cool job capturing the early 2000's AIM experience.
If there are multiple endings i probably got the worst one. Although i think it would be cool if they all ended the same way no matter what you chose.
Click to expand...

I don't think there are. I went back and didn't let Emily come visit, and she gave me shit for never making a move on her. She still ended up with that jerk Brad at the end.
 
2

21XX

Banned
The Right Deal said:
If the game is true to life you'll just type out a big, long explanation of your feelings to Emily, stare at it all night, but never have the balls to send it. Flash forward 15 years and you're just some nobody spending his days at work on a video game forum.
Click to expand...

Now that's some brutal shit that is digging up some middle school memories.
 
P

Persona7

Banned
I started it now instead. How does this work, I click a option and then nothing happens unless I mash the keyboard and one letter at a time pops up
 
X

xptoxyz

Member
Persona7 said:
I started it now instead. How does this work, I click a option and then nothing happens unless I mash the keyboard and one letter at a time pops up
Click to expand...

Part of the gimmick pretending to type. Which as the option doesn't always line up with what is typed, is kinda weird and becomes an hassle.
 
P

Persona7

Banned
xptoxyz said:
Part of the gimmick pretending to type. Which as the option doesn't always line up with what is typed, is kinda weird and becomes an hassle.
Click to expand...

ugh, this is really annoying me to the point that I just closed the game and don't want to play.
 
B

benicillin

Banned
So I just played this a couple times through and boy, this was way too real for me. I can think of so many conversations and relationships that have played out just like this game did.

A little bit of a bummer that there doesn't seem to be a good ending available, no matter what the relationship is doomed.
 
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