Emily Is Away: Free Nostalgic Visual Novel Chat Game About Love and Lost Connection

Emily Is Away is a free indie visual novel that plays out entirely through a fake early-2000s chat client. Developed by Kyle Seeley and released on November 20, 2015, it follows a five-year messaging history between the player and a girl named Emily.

This is the first chapter. The other chapters, Emily Is Away Too and Emily Is Away <3, are available on Steam.

A Story Told Through a Chat Window

The whole game takes place on a Windows XP desktop styled after AOL Instant Messenger and ICQ. You pick a screen name, pick a profile picture, and start messaging Emily across five conversations — one per year, from 2002 to 2006.

No combat. No puzzles. Just typing.

The writing carries it. Players choose responses that shape how close or how distant the two characters become. But sometimes the game lets you type out a real feeling, then forces you to delete it and send something safer. That mechanic alone hits harder than most games twice its length.

The Five-Year Timeline

In 2002, the player and Emily are still in high school, chatting about a guy named Brad and a party their classmate Travis is throwing. Whether you go to that party shapes everything after.

By 2003, Emily’s dating Brad or Travis, and the relationship is already cracking. 2004 brings a breakup and a maybe-visit. 2005 gets messy depending on what happened during that visit — awkward, regretful, or cold.

Then 2006 lands like a gut punch. The protagonist types honest questions and deletes them, replacing them with small talk about the weather. For once, you’re the one who logs off first.

The 2000s Aesthetic

Profile pictures pull from stuff that mattered back then — 28 Days Later, The Ring, Harry Potter, blink-182, Eminem, Avril Lavigne. Hidden usernames unlock early-2010s icons like The Binding of Isaac, Markiplier, and Portal.

Both characters swap avatars, bios, and away messages as the years roll on. It’s a sharp way of showing how people change without saying it out loud.

Reception

The game holds a “Very Positive” rating on Steam. Wired and Rock, Paper, Shotgun both praised it. Most reviews flagged the short runtime — under an hour to finish — but the writing got the credit.

Why It Still Hits

Most romance games overplay it. Emily Is Away refuses to. Nothing big happens. No confessions, no drama. Just two people slowly drifting, the way most real relationships actually end.

Game Controls

• Mouse: click chat options and menus
• Keyboard: mash any keys to “type” (the game fills in the text)
• Enter: send message
• Esc: open menu

As always, remember to have fun!