16 Games Like Emily Is Away
Our assortment of games like Emily Is Away features alternatives that combine visual novel gameplay in unique ways while exploring personal relationships.
Emily Is Away is a free to play indie visual novel released in 2015 which follows your relationship with a girl. Exploring the early 2000s when life and computer chatting was simpler the game centres around a chat window where players communicate with Emily. Taking place across a 5 year timeframe your relationship with Emily expands from high school until the senior years of college. Including options for different avatars that feel right out of the old ICQ and Instant Messenger days the level of detail and relationship building in Emily Is Away quickly pulls you in.
Your friends within the chat client will show similar progression and feel alive as they swap their avatar to the latest hit item, update their details and change their custom away messages and pull from pop culture of the era. In between this growing up players will communicate with Emily, a fellow student and drive their life with the conversations you have which can have impacts on your future discussions and ultimately how the game ends.
The games like Emily Is Away selected for the list below feature similar branching storylines where you’ll drive the ending and select from multiple chat options with visual novel mechanics.
Katawa Shoujo
Katawa Shoujo is a free to play visual novel set in a unique setting that will make players rethink their views of the world and other people. The game takes place in the fictional Yamaku High School which is specifically designed for the disabled where players will meet a diverse range of characters with their own traumas and dreams. With this mature setting and highly sexual themes the visual novel explores situations intended for an older audience compared to some other light-hearted adventur...[Read Review]
Episode – Choose Your Story
Episode – Choose Your Story (Episode) is a mobile (iOS and Android) experience that lets you drive the story in the direction that you want through various key prompts. Known for great variety of stories and regular updates, Episode is a game you can keep installed for a lengthy period of time with its growing collection of stories for players to place themselves in the middle of. As one of the premier options in the visual novel space on mobile Episode – Choose Your Story has inspir...[Read Review]
Cibele
Cibele lets players take control of a 19 year old girl as they explore love through the online medium and all the challenges that this rollercoaster entails. Combined with unique story telling Cibele is an eye opening exploration of the challenges of being a teenager in what is becoming an increasingly online connected world although does play more like a story-telling experience than a video game. Cibele was created by Nina Freeman with the game inspired by her own experiences of romance. Start...[Read Review]
Seen
Seen is a free to play Android title that sends you back to the days of high school as you engage in an interactive story of love with multiple attempts available to explore the branching stories. Playing as Mark Blythe (or a name you select yourself) you’ll fall in love with Nicole Tyler, a fellow student that you’ll have to pursue while also learning more about the other main characters of Mike, Jake, Jenny and Vale. These supporting characters add more depth to your Nicole orientated story as...[Read Review]
Nicole
Nicole is one of the newer releases to come from Winter Wolves who are well known for their impressive otome games that allow players to explore a diverse roster of romantic partners. Available across Windows, Mac, Linux, mobile and console platforms Nicole is a paid story based title with great accessibility (note the iOS version provides some free content). Similar to the other titles in this genre from the Winter Wolves development team Nicole is a game that has otome style features at the co...[Read Review]
Choice of Robots
Choice of Robots is a uniquely text orientated experience that is filled with over 300,000 words of story and world building making it one of the largest text based adventure games currently available. It’s a science fiction themed adventure that blends novel with the interactive and delivers plenty of surprises along the way for players to uncover. Written by Kevin Gold the game is entirely text based with players given complete control over every single element of the game world. As the name s...[Read Review]
Digital: A Love Story
Released in 2010 Digital: A Love Story lets you step right into developing an online relationship with a girl as you also attempt to uncover information relating to the recent downfall of several AIs. While the story is more linear than similar titles the impressive writing, plot and setting ensure this indie visual novel is likely to be among the must play list for fans of the genre. Digital: A Love Story is a free to play adventure available for Windows, Mac and Linux users. Describing itself ...[Read Review]
Re: Alistair++
Re: Alistair++ is a free to play otome game that explores romance and dating with a setting that revolves around video games (in particular MMO games) in a fictional although familiar world. Published by SakeVisual Re: Alistair++ allows players to control a female protagonist as they explore three potential romance pathways with the three unique male bachelors available. This game adventure plays out like your traditional visual novels and has players taking control of the main character, Merui ...[Read Review]
The Wolf Among Us
The Wolf Among Us is one of Telltale Games popular episode interactive adventures split across 5 episodes. While not quite as popular as the larger franchise interactive adventure adaptations like Back To The Future, Borderlands and Walking Dead it’s still one of the fan favourite productions from the studio. Unfortunately, due to the shutdown of Telltale the planned sequel was never completed leaving The Wolf Among Us as the sole edition in the series. Drawing inspiration from Bill Willin...[Read Review]
Until Dawn
Until Dawn is a PlayStation exclusive addition to the interactive drama genre which features a number of survival horror elements. Promising a twist filled adventure with many key decisions left to the players will encounter a number of distinct characters that each have their own personalities to explore while also dealing with the impacts of the butterfly effect. Alongside these story elements players will use the third person camera perspective to identify clue s in the environment that can h...[Read Review]
Cinders
Cinders is a visual novel story that explores the life and adventures of a Cinderella inspired story. Developed and published by MaoCube for Windows and Mac gamers in 2012 the story centric title was later brought to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles. Exploring the lives of several women Cinders is a story with hundreds of potential decisions to be made that drive how their story unfolds. Cinders is an inviting experience for both fans of the interactive novel genre and newcom...[Read Review]
Depression Quest
Exploring the dark side of life and the struggles of depression in the modern world Depression Quest is a tale contained within the over 40,000 words of game writing that explores everyday experiences and encounters with a shadow of depression hanging over players. Your ultimate goal in Depression Quest is to make it to one of the several endings available which are based on how you’ve managed your depression throughout the game and thus encourages players to attempt the game multiple time...[Read Review]
X-note
X-note is an interesting blend of mystery, visual adventure and dating simulation game released in March 2011 with a free playable demo available through the official website. With a mixture of genres included X-note offers broad general appeal although doesn’t explore all these elements as deeply as some other games which are focused on specific elements and mechanics. X-note has mysterious foundations with the game following Essi as she attempts to discover the truth to her past which was hidd...[Read Review]
Analogue: A Hate Story
With over 50,000 words of content, Analogue: A Hate Story offers up plenty of visual novel gameplay, depth and story to explore. Focusing on the likes of relationships, generational societies, the human relationship with computers (transhumanism), LGBT, cosplay and marriage there are multiple themes underpinning the vast range of text. In Analogue: A Hate Story you play as an investigator after the reappearance of an interstellar ship after 600 years of lost contact who digs through the text fil...[Read Review]
Heavy Rain
Heavy Rain takes you through an interactive drama that draws inspiration from film noir thrillers the game is full of mystery with a serial killer at the heart of the plot that you jump into. Originally a PlayStation 3 exclusive title released in 2010 the game was subsequently released on PlayStation 4 in 2016 and Windows in 2019. Heavy Rain lets you experience four main characters as you advance through the various game chapters with each of them having a deep background story and their own mot...[Read Review]
Lifeline
Experience an interesting and unique storytelling adventure in Lifeline, a game that has you responding to a seemingly real person on the other side of your phone or computer. Serving as the first of a number of entries in a text based game franchise players will explore the story of Taylor as they help them survive a ship crash with branching story lines based on two decisions at a time. While the lack of graphics may not sound appealing on first glance once you find yourself in the game and re...[Read Review]