Emily is Away is an indie-developed visual novel created by Kyle Seeley.

Plot

The game tells the story of the main character relationship with a girl named Emily which lasted for five years and began in the early 2000s.

Gameplay

Unlike most visual novels, this game is linear, with the players being unable to influence the plot development severely. The game resembles an online chat using an EOL messaging client running on an operating system that closely resembles Windows XP. There are multiple pop-culture references to the early 2000s era, such as the user profile icons, that resemble multiple old memes (like the Polish Polka), the icons on the main character's desktop that show that he is a fan of 28 Days Later, Lord of The Rings, and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

As the game goes on, the players are able to change their profile icon according to the tendencies of these years. It is also possible to interact not only with Emily, but also with their classmates, and the main player's friends. The main gameplay revolves around chatting with emilyluv (she will later change her nickname to emerly). You discuss your high school love with her and your classmate Brad that harasses Emily. It turns out that your other classmate, Travis, is planning a party, which the players can choose to attend with Emily or stay at home.