Emily is Away

A treadmill workout spent answering Emily’s messages sounds pleasantly low pressure, but you’ll be doing a lot more reading than moving the story along. I’d save it for an easy pace, not the part of a workout where you need your eyes on anything else.

Gameplay

The chat format is what makes Emily is Away interesting to me, and also what makes it a bit of a slow workout game. You create a screenname, read through conversations with Emily, and choose replies that shape the branching story, so the activity is mostly deciding what you want to say next. That’s a good fit if you enjoy a story where small choices carry some weight, but it’s not going to keep your hands busy or give you much to do while a character is typing.

I like that the choices feel like they belong in a conversation rather than like a menu asking you to pick the obviously correct answer. You can think about how you want to come across, and then the story moves forward based on that. I also find that kind of choice a little awkward, because I can spend longer deciding how to respond to a fictional chat than I would answering an actual message. That’s on me, mostly.

There’s a particular rhythm to reading a chat one message at a time, and I think it works well when you’re sitting down and paying attention to the story. While exercising, though, the pauses between choices can make the game feel like it’s taking up the screen without really taking up your attention, and then a line comes along that you want to read properly. So you drift in and out of it. That’s not ideal.

I don’t know that the story would work as well if it were trying to be more active, since the conversations and your decisions are the point. Still, I’d want more to do during the quiet stretches if I were counting on this to distract me from a run. It asks you to read, then asks you to decide, and sometimes that’s enough. Sometimes it’s just reading.

The free to play part makes it easy to give the story a try without putting money down first, which is a nice way to find out whether this sort of interactive story is for you. If you like picking a screenname and seeing where a conversation leads, there’s a clear reason to stick with it. If you mainly want the game to keep your attention through constant action, you’ll probably check your treadmill display more often than you’d like.

Category Score: 1 out of 3

Treadmill and Bike Compatibility

The biggest obstacle here isn’t quick reactions, it’s keeping your eyes on a small chat window while you’re moving and still caring about what you’re reading. I’d set the treadmill to an easy walking pace, or ride at a relaxed effort, and avoid treating this like a game to play during a hard interval. You want enough attention left over to follow the conversation.

I wouldn’t count on a controller being the most natural way to play. Creating a screenname involves typing, and the conversation is built around reading and selecting replies, so the whole setup feels more comfortable at a desk than with your hands bouncing along at exercise pace. I can imagine making it work with a stable keyboard and mouse arrangement, but that’s a lot of fuss for a game that mostly asks you to read.

On a bike, you can keep your balance without your steps moving your view around, which makes the text easier to follow, but it still doesn’t turn the chat into something you can play casually with your eyes elsewhere. On a treadmill, I’d keep the belt slow enough that looking down at a message doesn’t feel like a second task. I’d also skip it if I were tired, because I don’t know what I’d take away from the story if I only caught every other line.

There’s no reason to rush through the choices, so the game’s pace itself is forgiving. The issue is that forgiving doesn’t mean hands free. I’d try it on a very easy walk first, with the screen positioned where you can read without leaning forward, and see if the reading feels comfortable. If it doesn’t, this is a perfectly good game to save for the couch.

Category Score: 1 out of 3

Computer Requirements

The minimum requirements point to a very old Windows computer, so this shouldn’t demand a recent gaming machine. I’d check that the game runs on your system before worrying about graphics, since nothing in the description suggests you need a powerful graphics card.

Category Score: 3 out of 3

Conclusion and Score

Emily is Away is best for you if you want a quiet, choice driven story and you’re happy to do most of your exercise at an easy pace. I’d play it while walking slowly, but I wouldn’t choose it for a focused workout or buy equipment around the idea of playing it in motion. It’s a better story game than exercise companion.

Overall Score: 1.67 out of 3