Kyle Seeley has crafted one of the most nostalgic and endearing portraits of internet life in the early to mid-2000’s: Emily is Away
If you hadn’t heard, Emily is Away has been available through itch.io since October 1st, free of charge, unless you feel like supporting working developers; which you should, you ungrateful slime. Sorry, that got out of hand.
Anyways, Emily is Away is now available through Steam, making it even easier to take a trip down 56k modem memory lane.
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The sounds of Windows XP booting up, the computer fan whizzing, the excitement of that peculiarly hinged door opening up, or the *pleasant* tones of an instant message. It might sound sickeningly nostalgic, and it partly is, but you are doing more than looking at an old chat screen. You are interacting with a digital past.
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.
Isn’t that what it’s all about? Lime green?
Emily is Away unfolded across the early to mid-2000’s as your character and Emily go through the pains of growing up in the middle class. It’s not worth it to give too much away. Honestly, take 45 minutes out of your day and just play this game. It’s fun, a little sweet, oddly evocative, and it’s free!
What do you think about Emily is Away? Is Interactive Fiction still a viable medium for games today? Let us know in the comments below
