Emily Wants to Play
| Emily Wants To Play | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Shawn Hitchcock |
| Publisher(s) | SKH Apps |
| Engine | Unreal Engine |
| Platform(s) |
Microsoft Windows OS X PlayStation 4 Xbox One Oculus Rift HTC Vive iOS Android |
| Release date(s) |
Windows, Mac OSX, Oculus Rift, HTC Vive
iOS, Android
PS4
Xbox One
|
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure Survival Horror |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Emily Wants To Play is a survival horror video game created by indie developer Shawn Hitchcock.[2] The game was released for Microsoft Windows and OS X on December 10, 2015.[3] It was then released for iOS and Android on January 31, 2016, PlayStation 4 on August 9, 2016, and Xbox One on September 9, 2016.[4] Emily Wants to Play was adapted to play in virtual reality by using the HTC Vive or Oculus Rift on August 25, 2016. [5]
Players control a pizza delivery man that has been trapped in a house by a young girl named Emily and her three dolls. Each level of the game is represented by a different hour of the night from 11pm until 6am. During these levels, various combinations of the dolls and Emily appear. The player must learn how to interact with Emily and her dolls in order to survive the night.[6]
Gameplay
The game begins with a pizza delivery person, controlled by the player, walking into a house on his last pizza delivery. Upon entering, the front door closes and is locked, presumably by Emily, since she appears for an instant in front of the door. The player must then survive the night from 11pm until 6am in the morning. Each hour of the game is a new level. The player can explore the house freely looking for clues as to why they are trapped inside. Various notes and recordings containing story elements are spread out in different rooms. At a fixed amount of time the hour changes and new gameplay elements are added in the form of a doll or Emily. The player must then figure out how to interact with each doll and Emily herself in order to survive the hours. If a doll or Emily attacks the player, in the form of a jump scare, then the player loses and the game is over. The player will be restarted at the beginning of the last hour. There are various clues on notes and on a whiteboard in the kitchen that help the player to learn how to handle a doll when it appears. The mechanic of each doll and Emily's game build upon each other. The player may have to run, stay still, or face a certain direction to survive. During the final level, the player must survive all of these elements in combination.[7]
Plot
A month ago, two people were found dead in the living room of their house as they were packing up to move. A pizza is ordered to the house using an online pizza delivery service by what is presumably a deceased girl named Emily. The pizza man comes to the house to fulfill the order. Details in the order explain that the door is open and to walk right in.[8] When the pizza man walks in, the door is closed and locked behind him. During his stay in the house, the pizza man is visited by various dolls and a girl named Emily. They want to play variations of children's games with him such as red light green light and hide and go seek. If the pizza man plays these games correctly, the dolls let him go free. When the pizza man finally escapes, the police come back to check the house. A news report exclaims that the pizza delivery man is now under psychiatric evaluation, but the dolls matching his description were recovered.[9]
According to the notes in the house, Emily is a depressed girl that found some dolls in the basement. She considers the dolls her friends, but her parents would like to take them away from her. The recordings left behind seem to be from Emily's mom and were recorded to help with her own depression. The recordings explain that Emily was acting strangely ever since they moved to their new home. Emily was showing signs of erratic and violent behavior. Because of this, the parents strangely decide to lock her in the basement. During this time Emily finds the dolls and even stranger happenings start occurring. The dolls appear in different places around the house without anyone moving them and Emily opens up a giant hole in the floor of her room that would be impossible for a small child. Emily is found lifeless one day in the basement and the parents decide they should move from the house.
News audio that plays on a staticky television explains that a couple was killed a month ago while they were preparing to move. This is presumably Emily's parents and someone killed them before they were able to move.
There are hints to a possible subplot. The phrases Join Us and We Are One can be seen written on a few notes, on the bottom of a crashed Windows computer and heard at the end of a recording in the basement. There is also a strange figure depicted behind what looks like Emily and her dolls on the back of one of the notes.
Development
The developer, Shawn Hitchcock, announced that he will be releasing Emily Wants To Play on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, creating a VR update and a sequel.[10]
References
- ↑ "Emily Wants to Play Arrives August 9 on PS4". blog.us.playstation.com. Retrieved Aug 5, 2016.
- ↑ "Emily Wants to Play Has Been Released". www.justadventure.com. Retrieved Jun 16, 2016.
- ↑ "Emily Wants To Play on Steam". steampowered.com. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Steam Community :: Group Announcements :: Emily Wants To Play". steamcommunity.com. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- ↑ "Emily Wants to Play in Virtual Reality". emilywantstoplay.com. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
- ↑ "Emily Wants To Play Review". www.bitcultures.com. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- ↑ "Emily Wants to Play Review - Brash Games". www.brashgames.co.uk. Retrieved Jun 16, 2016.
- ↑ Shawn Hitchcock (December 10, 2015). Emily Wants To Play. Scene: Kitchen Laptop.
- ↑ "Emily Wants to Play: Backstory and Secrets Explained". twinfinite.net. Retrieved Jun 16, 2016.
- ↑ "Steam Community :: Group Announcements :: Emily Wants To Play". steamcommunity.com. Retrieved May 28, 2016.