Emily is Away and the Nature of Friendships
As previously mentioned, Emily is Away had a profound impact on me. It was one of the few times I finished a game, or piece of media, and just sat quietly and contemplated what transpired. It told a very real, and relatable, story about the nature of friendships and how they can progress over a long period of time. I want to specifically talk about the ending sequence of the game and how the game’s mechanics made it so impactful, so consider this an official spoiler warning.
I will openly admit a major reason the game resonated with me is I personally related to the story. Not necessarily beat for beat, but the overarching narrative of trying maintain a friendship over the course of college and how eventually it might erode is something I definitely experienced. Also, much like the main character, I couldn’t wait for high school to be over and move onto college. Then, in the blink of an eye, college was over too. The 30 minute experience mirrored the breakneck pace I retroactively perceived college to go at. As someone who is still transitioning into post-college life, this really made me think about choices I made and what I could have done differently in my short time at school.
What really got to me though, was the actual ending of the game. Throughout the game you choose how you are going to respond to Emily by picking one of three options. The options sum up the general tone of the message and you type out the actual message by hitting keys on your keyboard. There are a few instances of messages getting typed out and deleted, but generally the typed message is true to your choice. The final sequence of the game throws this out the window.
After your falling out with Emily, it’s clear your friendship will never be the same. The game presents you with saying “goodbye” or inquiring into the state of your friendship. But every time you try to say something deep or meaningful, your message is deleted and replaced with a generic question. Emily responds with short answers and obviously isn’t that interested in the conversation. You can keep trying till eventually your only option is to say goodbye. The final option is especially tragic as the final question you can’t bring yourself to ask is “is this it for us?”
I absolutely love how the game takes away player agency at this point of the story. This was never really a game about choice anyway. No matter what path you go down with Emily, your friendship was always doomed. And that’s what hurts the most, the inevitability of it. No matter how good of a friend you were, how good your intentions were, or how much you tried, some things aren’t meant to last. The game ends on a pretty big downer, but I think it realizes there is more to life than a single friendship. It doesn’t explicitly say this, but your character always has other things going on in their life other than talking to Emily. It isn’t too much of a stretch to imagine they have a rich and fulfilling life aside from this one friendship.
Human relationships are a complicated mess. Some last, others don’t, and this game perfectly encapsulates this feeling. While it may invoke some less than positive feelings, Emily is Away is certainly worth experiencing.
