Em-A-Li

About

Em-A-Li is a single player casual role playing game with horror, mystery and thriller themes. It was developed by Yobob and was released on January 2, 2020. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

My name is Em-A-Li. How about we get to know each other? I know it might be hard having a computer to tag along, but I think we need to work together to escape. You know, teamwork. This is a horror RPG game with voice acting.

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80%

Audience ScoreBased on 45 reviews

story13 positive mentions

replayability2 negative mentions

Well-done, fully voice acted pixel horror game with a creepy and unsettling atmosphere.
Engaging and neat story with interesting twists, complemented by a good soundtrack and sound design.
Short and concise experience that maintains tension without becoming boring or repetitive.

Very short playtime around 30-40 minutes with limited gameplay, mostly a walking simulator with minimal interaction.
Narrative and dialogue can be confusing, repetitive, or poorly written, with some plot elements feeling predictable or clichéd.
Visuals and level design are basic and sometimes awkward, with criticism on small screen room size and lack of varied content or multiple endings.

story
42 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
62%
7%
The story is generally regarded as short, linear, and somewhat predictable, with a few clichés and pacing issues, but remains engaging and intriguing for many players. It is enhanced by strong voice acting and a creepy, immersive atmosphere, making it feel more like an interactive short story or walking simulator than a traditional game. However, some reviewers feel the narrative could benefit from more depth, backstory, and interactivity, and consider the price somewhat high for its length.
- “I was captivated by the characters and the unravelling narrative; I wish I could forget the entire story just so I could have the satisfaction to play it again.”
- “Each new room that opens up reveals a new piece of the story, as well as new lines of fully voice acted dialogue.”
- “This game is a short horror game with a fairly linear story that still keeps the player engaged with the mystery and compellingly eerie voice acting.”
- “This is hardly even a game to be honest, you walk room to room and the only real gameplay is picking paths in the dark, and the story just was not doing it for me.”
- “So incohesive and any plot twists it's meant to have are so cliché you can spot them coming from galaxies away.”
- “The story is not that good and the voice narration lags behind the words narration so I end up reading faster and skip which ruins the fun.”
gameplay
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
14%
43%
The gameplay is minimal and largely consists of moving from one point to another with limited interaction, offering little in terms of engaging mechanics. Many reviewers feel it lacks substantial gameplay elements and relies heavily on narrative progression rather than interactive depth.
- “Probably the main point is the mechanics.”
- “Em-a-li is a little indie game (about 40 minutes of gameplay) where you wander around trying to understand why you're here and what's happening.”
- “Would have loved to see more actual gameplay rather than just moving from point A to point B for more dialogue.”
- “This is hardly even a game to be honest, you walk room to room and the only real gameplay is picking paths in the dark, and the story just was not doing it for me.”
- “The gameplay is very barebone; in fact, I wouldn't really call it gameplay.”
- “The game is a bit barebone, but it's understandable. The main issue I have is the lack of gameplay—you just walk around and interact with things, waiting for the story to unfold.”
music
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
57%
The music in the game is simple yet effective, skillfully setting a creepy and relaxing atmosphere that enhances the overall mood. Paired with strong voice acting, the soundtrack significantly contributes to the game's immersive and engaging experience.
- “A fun, simple mini horror game with lore, funny voice acting, and nice soundtracks that set the moods.”
- “Music is pretty simple but effective, really sets the tone and atmosphere.”
- “I appreciate the voice acting and the music because it made the game feel more alive.”
atmosphere
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The atmosphere is highly praised for being unsettling, oppressive, and effectively creepy, enhancing the game's tension through well-crafted negative space and simple yet impactful music. It creates a mysterious, ominous tone that deepens the player's immersion and leaves lingering unsettling questions.
- “You get a good story out of it with a well-done creepy and scary atmosphere, some questions that are not directly answered and even more horrifying if you think on them long enough.”
- “The use of negative space in each of the maps lends itself to the oppressive and ominous atmosphere of the setting, and helps to focus the player on discovery.”
- “Atmosphere is very unsettling and unnerving, adding hugely to the tension of the game.”
graphics
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
40%
The game's graphics feature a charming pixel-art aesthetic that some users appreciate, though overall visuals are considered poor and lacking in variety or impact compared to similar titles.
- “The game has a charming pixel-graphic aesthetic.”
- “The game has a charming pixel-graphic aesthetic.”
- “I enjoyed the art style and Emi's voice actress.”
- “Visuals are very bad.”
- “Usually this type of almost kinetic stories make up for the lack of multiple choices with a bunch of visuals, which is not the case here.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game struggles to evoke meaningful emotional responses due to poorly written dialogue and predictable or ineffective plot twists. While the music and voice acting are praised, the overall story fails to deliver a strong emotional impact.
- “The music is nice, voice acting is really good, and the story is alright. I feel like we're touching on something that could be of quite a large emotional scale.”
replayability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
100%
The game offers limited replayability, making it suitable for short play sessions but not for extended or repeated engagement. While the regular price is considered high given its brevity and modest production value, a lower price point around $3 makes it a more reasonable purchase despite the limited replay value.
- “It's a nice little game to kill a half hour or so, with a whole lot of replayability.”
- “It's a nice little game to kill a half hour or so, but has very little replayability.”
- “The regular asking price is rather steep, but $3, while still a bit much for a short game without too much production value nor replayability, is reasonable enough.”
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is highlighted by entertaining voice acting that adds a lighthearted touch to the mini horror experience, enhancing the overall atmosphere alongside its engaging lore and soundtracks.
- “A fun little mini horror game with lore, funny voice acting, and nice soundtracks that set the mood.”