Info about Emily is Away Too: Official game description: Now with Emily Online! ---------------------- Chat with your steam friends like it's 2006! New Emily, New Choices ---------------------- Emily is Away Too is the spiritual successor to the critically acclaimed original. Message both Emily and Evelyn as you determine the outcome of your senior year. Extend the story past the chat window with youtube links, facebook profiles and file transfers. And most importantly, change your text color to lime green so everyone knows you're the coolest kid in school. Features -------- * Multiple endings triggered by your dialogue decisions. * Buddy icons, customizable profiles and away messages. * Independent IM conversations with branching paths. * Youtube links, facebook profiles and even file transfers. * An interface you thought you'd never use again! Release date: May 26, 2017 Categories: Visual Novel, Narrative Adventure, Branching Narrative, Multiple Endings, Nostalgic Gameplay, Interactive Fiction, Dialogue-Based Puzzle Solving, Story-Driven Gameplay Feature scans: - Proton/Linux: score 30; verdict: Minor Tweaks; summary: The game is generally playable on Linux and Steam Deck, but there are notable issues such as broken saves on Linux and the need for additional peripherals on Steam Deck. - Hardware Profile: No data Feature extractions: - Community Price: - Community fair range: $3.00 - $7.00 - Reasoning: The reviews consistently mention that the game is worth its price, with specific mentions of it being worth around five dollars. The term 'barato' in Portuguese suggests affordability, and multiple reviews emphasize that the game is worth buying, especially on sale. This indicates that the community finds the game to be of good value at a lower price point. - Playtime Metrics: - Game completion: 2.0h - Story completion: 2.0h - Session length: N/A - Endgame: N/A - Reasoning: The evidence provided by users indicates that a typical playthrough of 'Emily is Away Too' takes around 2 hours. This is supported by multiple reviews mentioning that a playthrough took about two hours. There is no strong evidence provided for session length or endgame playtime, and the evidence for story completion is the same as for game completion. - Time-to-fun: - Summary: The game becomes fun after players get past the initial tutorial phase and engage with the story and nostalgic elements, but it can become tedious with repetitive dialogue and lacks replay value. - Stance: Clicks after - Anchor: Engaging with the story and nostalgic elements - Time to anchor: 0h 30m - Friction: Tedious and repetitive dialogue; Annoying achievements; Long and chatty pacing - Unlock drivers: Natural progression of the story; Realistic and immersive dialogue - Conditions: Single playthrough; Engagement with the story and nostalgic elements - Player Archetypes: - Story-First Explorer (buy) - Motivation: Emotional engagement and narrative immersion. - Playstyle: Focuses on story progression and emotional connections with characters. - Experience: mixed - Purchase stance: buy - Labels: Nostalgic gamer; Story enthusiast - Reference games: Emily is Away; Huniepop2: Double Date - Completionist Collector (sale) - Motivation: Achievement hunting and content completion. - Playstyle: Systematic and thorough, aiming to unlock all achievements and collectibles. - Experience: veteran - Purchase stance: sale - Labels: Achievement hunter; Completionist - Reference games: Huniepop2: Double Date - Nostalgic Enthusiast (sale) - Motivation: Nostalgia and retro aesthetics. - Playstyle: Casual and reflective, enjoying the game for its nostalgic value. - Experience: familiar - Purchase stance: sale - Labels: Retro gamer; Nostalgic player - Reference games: Emily is Away Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category. Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews. What players like: - Nostalgic elements and atmosphere (weight 0.3): The game includes a variety of nostalgic elements, such as a retro aesthetic, nostalgic UI, sounds, and Easter eggs, creating a wave of nostalgia for players. - Emotionally engaging narrative (weight 0.24): The game features a captivating and emotionally-driven story that deeply engages players with its characters and narrative, making them think about life and emotions. - Realistic conversations and interactions (weight 0.2): The game features realistic dialogue options and character interactions, adding to the overall immersion. - Improves on the first game (weight 0.18): The game builds on the success of the first game, offering more content and improving on the original's mechanics and features. - Immersive gameplay experience (weight 0.18): Players find the gameplay to be highly immersive, with new features that enhance the overall experience. - Evelyn is a standout character (weight 0.14): Evelyn is praised as a significant and well-liked character in the game, often preferred over other characters like Emily. - Strong 2000s internet aesthetic (weight 0.12): The game captures the feeling of the early 2000s internet with a strong nostalgic vibe and design. - Intricate story development (weight 0.09): The game features a more intricate and detailed story with good story development and additional story details. - Good soundtrack (weight 0.09): The game features a phenomenal soundtrack with good music choices that enhance the overall experience. - Engaging fake websites (weight 0.07): The game includes creative and detailed fake websites and social media interactions, adding to the overall immersion. - Plenty of references (weight 0.07): The game includes plenty of references and lots of new additions, enhancing the overall experience. Common complaints: - Limited and repetitive gameplay (weight 0.18): The game is criticized for its limited interactions, short playtime, and repetitive choices. Players feel that the gameplay lacks depth and variety, making it tedious especially when seeking replay value. - Disappointing endings (weight 0.16): The endings are a major point of criticism, with many players finding them disappointing, illogical, and sometimes devastating. The final chapter is particularly criticized for ruining the overall experience. - Character criticisms (weight 0.15): Characters, particularly Emily, are criticized for being poorly developed or annoying. The dialogues and interactions with characters are seen as repetitive, boring, and sometimes frustrating. - Frustrating mechanics (weight 0.14): The game's mechanics, such as the timed component and the lack of options to re-select or back out of choices, are seen as frustrating and disruptive to the storytelling experience. - Technical issues (weight 0.12): Players have reported technical issues such as slow typing speed, broken saves on Linux, and lack of fullscreen mode. These issues detract from the overall gaming experience. - Lack of plot depth (weight 0.11): The game is criticized for its lack of plot development and emotional depth. The story is seen as shallow and not as emotionally powerful as the first game in the series. - Limited dialogue options (weight 0.11): Players feel constrained by the limited and sometimes rigid dialogue options. The choices often do not match the player's true feelings and lack nuance or middle ground options. - Teen drama focus (weight 0.09): Many players found the game's focus on teen drama unappealing and juvenile. The storyline is seen as overly dramatic and not engaging for those who are not interested in high school drama. - Lack of immersion (weight 0.09): Players find the game lacks immersion due to its simplistic mechanics, mundane conversations, and lack of depth in relationships. The game's dialogue and character interactions are seen as unrealistic and shallow. - Emotional distress (weight 0.09): The game's story and endings can cause emotional distress, leaving players with feelings of sadness, bitterness, and regret. The lack of fully happy endings contributes to this distress. Gameplay feedback: - Branching dialogue and paths (weight 0.29): Players engage in branching dialogue with characters, leading to different pathways and consequences. The game features multiple routes and endings based on these interactions. - Text-based narrative gameplay (weight 0.25): The game is a text-based visual novel with interactive story elements. It includes a narrative-driven experience with a focus on dialogue and choices. - Character interactions and relationships (weight 0.24): Players can interact with multiple characters, managing conversations and building relationships. These interactions are influenced by the choices made during dialogues. - Emotional and nostalgic storytelling (weight 0.2): The game offers an emotional journey with character development and nostalgic elements related to early 2000s internet culture. It includes emotional and philosophical impact through its narrative. - Interactive elements and links (weight 0.18): Players can interact with various elements such as clicking links, fake YouTube links, and realistic browser windows. These interactions add depth to the gameplay experience. - Nostalgic instant messenger aesthetic (weight 0.17): The game simulates the environment of early 2000s instant messengers like AIM and MSN. It includes elements such as typing messages and chatlog simulations. - Easter eggs and cultural references (weight 0.09): The game includes various Easter eggs and pop-culture references, adding additional content and depth to the narrative. - Profile customization and switching (weight 0.05): Players can customize and switch profiles, adding a layer of personalization to the gameplay experience. - Timed responses in dialogues (weight 0.05): Some dialogues require timed responses, adding a sense of urgency and realism to the conversations. Performance notes: - Linux compatibility issues (weight 0.06): The game has significant issues on Linux, including broken saves and crashes. This affects the overall stability and playability for Linux users. - Steam Deck input requirements (weight 0.06): The game requires external keyboard and mouse to play on Steam Deck, although it is playable on the device. This could be a limitation for some players. - Low system requirements (weight 0.05): The game runs well on low-end hardware, making it accessible to a wide range of players with less powerful systems. - Game speed concerns (weight 0.03): Some players have noted issues with the speed of the game, which could affect the overall gameplay experience. - Small game size (weight 0.03): The game has a very small file size, reminiscent of older games stored on floppy disks. This makes it easy to download and install. - Fullscreen mode issues (weight 0.03): The game does not support fullscreen mode, which can be a drawback for players who prefer an immersive gaming experience. - Performance metrics available (weight 0.02): The game provides performance metrics, which can be useful for players who want to monitor and optimize their gaming experience. Recommendations: - Play the first game before this one (weight 0.16): Several reviews suggest playing the first game before diving into this one. It is recommended to try the free version of the first game to better appreciate this sequel. - Worth the price, especially on sale (weight 0.13): Many players feel the game offers good value for its price, particularly when purchased during a sale. Some believe it is worth the full price if the game resonates with the player. - Recommended for narrative game lovers (weight 0.12): The game is highly recommended for those who enjoy narrative-driven games and nostalgic experiences. Fans of the first game and narrative-driven experiences will likely appreciate this game. - Highly recommended for a good experience (weight 0.12): Many players highly recommend the game for its enjoyable and engaging experience, noting it as a must-play for fans of the genre. - Good for nostalgic experiences (weight 0.11): The game is praised for its nostalgic elements, making it a great choice for those who enjoy nostalgic experiences, particularly aimed at players who grew up in the early 2000s. - Recommended for specific audiences (weight 0.09): The game is recommended for fans of story-driven games, teenage drama/romance, and those who pay attention to details. It is also good for improving English and requires basic English knowledge. - Niche recommendations (weight 0.06): The game is recommended for achievement hunters, trading card collectors, and those interested in female story friends. - Emotional and thoughtful sequel (weight 0.06): The game is described as a thoughtful and heartfelt sequel with emotional honesty that resonates deeply with players. - Technical considerations (weight 0.05): Players should schedule at least 2 hours of undisturbed playtime. Additionally, scientific internet access is needed for YouTube videos related to the game. Other player notes: No miscpoints Emotions: - Nostalgia (weight 0.31): The game evokes a strong sense of nostalgia through its references to early 2000s internet culture, including old websites, music, and instant messaging platforms like MSN and AIM. Players are reminded of their teenage years, high school experiences, and past relationships, enhanced by the retro aesthetic and immersive setting that captures the essence of the mid-2000s era. - Frustration (weight 0.12): Players experience frustration due to the game's mechanics, such as timed responses, rigid rules, and the relationship points system, which can lead to sudden negative endings. Additionally, character inconsistencies, limited dialogue options, and the high chance of being ghosted contribute to a sense of unfairness and disruption in the gameplay flow. - Joy (weight 0.1): The game brings joy through its engaging story, character interactions, and the enjoyable experience of using browsers and listening to music. The positive experience is further enhanced by the game's features, emotional impact, and the overall engaging gameplay and story. - Disappointment (weight 0.07): Players feel disappointed due to the game's lack of depth in relationships, limited interactions, and forced endings. The lack of immersion, short playtime, and the game's choices and simplicity also contribute to this sentiment. - Enjoyment (weight 0.04): Enjoyment comes from the game's story, choices, and the overall experience of chatting and building relationships. The well-written narrative, emotional impact, and the old-school style with new additions make the game engaging and enjoyable. - Sadness (weight 0.04): The game's emotional impact, particularly its ending and the reflections on personal life changes, evokes a sense of sadness. Players feel a deep emotional connection to the story, which brings about feelings of melancholy and nostalgia. - Satisfaction (weight 0.04): Satisfaction arises from the improvements over the original game, interesting story, and the variety in endings. The positive narrative resolution and the overall positive experience contribute to a sense of fulfillment. - Engagement (weight 0.04): The game's character development, emotionally engaging conversations, and strong writing create a sense of engagement. The realistic and immersive dialogue keeps players invested in the story. - Excitement (weight 0.03): Excitement is generated by the game's style, story, and the chaos of teenage instant messaging. The anticipation for the next chapter and the discovery of Easter eggs add to the thrill. - Empathy (weight 0.03): Players feel empathy through the relatable experiences and emotions of the characters. The game's ability to make players feel like someone else and relate to the characters' emotions fosters a deep emotional connection. - Happiness (weight 0.02): Happiness comes from the positive interactions and relationships within the game. Securing happy endings and resolving conflicts contribute to a sense of joy and contentment. - Love (weight 0.02): The game evokes strong emotional attachment to its characters and themes. The immersive drama and emotional engagement create a feeling of love and deep connection. - Stress (weight 0.01): Stress is induced by the timed components and the intensity of certain chapters. The quick-time events and the pressure of messaging multiple people add to the tension. - Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance is caused by the final chapter's dialogue and the treatment of characters. Specific character dialogues, such as Emily's, can also be a source of irritation. - Surprise (weight 0.01): Surprise comes from the emotional depth of the game and the inclusion of favorite songs. These elements catch players off guard and add to the overall experience. - Appreciation (weight 0.01): Appreciation is felt for the game's story, cultural references, and small details. These elements are recognized and valued by the players. - Reflective (weight 0.01): The game prompts reflection on personal relationships and past interactions. It encourages players to think about their own experiences and emotions. - Reflection (weight 0.01): Reflection is induced by the game's ability to make players think about life and emotions. It forces players to reflect on past interactions and their own experiences. - Amusement (weight 0.01): Amusement comes from the game's references and comparisons to real-life simulators. These elements add a touch of humor and light-heartedness. - Hate (weight 0): Hate is directed towards specific characters, such as Emily, due to their actions or dialogues within the game.}