Emily Wants to Play

Emily Wants to Play is a simple first-person survival horror adventure game available for PC, AND and etc.. The production, being the debut project of an independent designer, Shawn Hitchcock, was released for PC/Mac at the end of 2015 and then ported to mobile platforms and consoles.

Plot

In Emily Wants to Play, we assume the role of a pizza delivery guy who performs his last order late at night. Having arrived at the delivery address, he notices that the windows of the house are boarded up, and the lawn in the yard appears to haven’t been mown for a long time. Completely soaked, he decides to come inside, not knowing that he will have to fight for his life. Inside, a deceases girl, the eponymous Emily, awaits him with her three dolls and wants to play with him in her own way. The player’s task is to survive the night in the haunted house and, if possible, solve the dark mystery of the place. Each level represents an hour of real time, starting from 11 PM to 6 AM.

Mechanics

Mechanics-wise, Emily Wants to Play draws inspiration from such production as Slender: The Arrival or the Five Nights at Freddy’s series. Contrary to Scott Cawthon’s franchise, we can move freely around the house, interact with various objects, and also turn the light on or off which comes often proves useful. While exploring, we will encounter the aforementioned dolls and, later on, Emily herself. The only way to avoid death is to run to a safe place as quickly as possible. What’s interesting, our opponents’ behavior has some patterns to it and learning it is key to our survival. The game is devoid of typical combat and exaggerated amounts of blood or brutality, putting emphasis on atmosphere and surprise like Slender or Five Nights at Freddy’s.

Technical aspects

Although Emily Wants to Play for PC, AND and etc. features fully three-dimensional graphics powered by Unreal Engine, it looks rather average. There’s an upside to that however, since the game looks similar on PC, consoles, and mobile devices. It’s also worth noting that with later updates the title started to support virtual reality headsets like Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

Last updated on 20 October 2016