Authentic early-2000s messenger nostalgia
Mentioned in ~1 in 3 positive reviews
“The buddy icons, away messages, old computer sounds, and chat style perfectly recreate early internet culture.”
Steam review · 0.7 h played ↗
Emily is Away
Worth buying? What 300 Steam reviews say.Worth buying? Here’s what 300 Steam reviews actually say.
Very Positive · 89%Very Positive · 89%Kyle Seeley2015Interactive Fiction · Simulation · Casual
The verdict
A short, free, nostalgic AIM-style chat story about drifting apart that hits many players emotionally. Skip it if you want choices that change the ending or dislike the Emily character.
Great for
Fans of early-2000s nostalgia and short, bittersweet story experiences about growing apart
Main risk
Choices feel like an illusion, with one unavoidable ending and an unlikeable Emily
What players love
Free and short, easy to finish in one sitting
Mentioned in ~1 in 3 positive reviews
“pretty much this game is worth playing given it's free and it's only as much as 1 hour or less of playtime.”
Steam review · 1.2 h played ↗
Emotional, relatable story about growing apart
Mentioned in ~1 in 5 positive reviews
“There isn't some massive dramatic story constantly demanding your attention. It's just two people talking. But sometimes, two people talking is enough.”
Steam review · 7.5 h played ↗
Fun easter-egg icons and easy achievements
Mentioned in ~1 in 7 positive reviews
“The John Cena achievement cracked me up”
Steam review · 0.8 h played ↗
Satisfying typing mechanic
Mentioned in ~1 in 17 positive reviews
“The typing system is also clever — you actually type responses, watch your character erase messages, and rewrite them like a real conversation.”
Steam review · 0.7 h played ↗
What players complain about
Choices don't change the single ending
Mentioned in ~2 in 5 negative reviews
“the illusion of choice. nothing you do changes the outcome”
Steam review · 1 h played ↗
Weak, shallow story and characters
Mentioned in ~1 in 4 negative reviews
“the story was so cliche and boring. The characters and response choices were so one-dimensional”
Steam review · 3.7 h played ↗
Emily is unlikeable and manipulative
Mentioned in ~1 in 4 negative reviews
“Emily is a toxic ♥♥♥♥ and she deserves everything bad that happens to her.”
Steam review · 1.7 h played ↗
Uncomfortable "nice guy" friendzone framing
Mentioned in ~1 in 7 negative reviews
“Trying to set healthy boundaries is met of course with punishment”
Steam review · 1.2 h played ↗
Typing out each reply gets tedious
Mentioned in ~1 in 10 negative reviews
“the constant, unskippable need to type out each dialogue choice character-by-character and wait through Emily typing gets really really tedious.”
Steam review · 2 h played ↗
Game overrides what you want to say
Mentioned in ~1 in 12 negative reviews
“my attempts were thwarted when the game took over and involuntarily chickened out on my behalf”
Steam review · 0.6 h played ↗
System requirements
From the Steam store page
Steam Deck: Unknown
Minimum
OSWindows XP Service Pack 2+
ProcessorIntel Pentium 4 or later
Memory512 MB RAM
OSWindows XP Service Pack 2+
ProcessorIntel Pentium 4 or later
Memory512 MB RAM
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