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Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue

Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue Game Cover
55%Game Brain Score
story, graphics
monetization, gameplay
77% User Score Based on 22 reviews

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PCWindows
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Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue Game Cover

About

Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue is a single player action adventure game. It was developed by Starkids Studios and was released on March 22, 2024. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Thanks for playing the prologue of Emil: A Hero's Journey!STORYAfter Nazi forces take his father away, 11-year-old Emil must use the only two things he has left—creativity and imagination—as he embarks on a perilous journey to find his father. Inspired by the true coming-of-age story of a Holocaust survivor.GAMEPLAYEmil: A Hero's Journey is a Cinematic 2.5D Puzzle-Platformer that combines intense …

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Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue screenshot
Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue screenshot
Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue screenshot
Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue screenshot
Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue screenshot
Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue screenshot
Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue screenshot
Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue screenshot
Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue screenshot
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77%
Audience ScoreBased on 22 reviews
story5 positive mentions
monetization14 negative mentions
  • The game features great music and cinematics that enhance the emotional experience.
  • The storyline is compelling and based on real historical events, providing a unique perspective.
  • The graphics and art style are impressive for a free project, capturing the mood effectively.
  • The gameplay mechanics are clunky and slow, making it frustrating to navigate at times.
  • The game is very short and lacks depth in puzzles and game mechanics, leaving players wanting more.
  • It feels misleading as it presents itself as a game but is more of an advertisement for a product that doesn't exist.
  • monetization
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of "Emil: A Hero's Journey" has been criticized for being misleading, as it primarily serves as an advertisement for a non-existent product rather than a legitimate game. Reviewers express frustration over the practice of publishing demos and ads as full games, arguing that it detracts from genuine titles and misleads gamers, ultimately labeling it as harmful and unworthy of players' time.

    • “Emil: A Hero's Journey is a 3D rendered 2D platformer that the developer abandoned... so yes, this is an advertisement for a product that doesn't exist, will never exist, and what we saw of it showed us it was badly made and somewhat valueless anyway.”
    • “While it might seem like an innocuous mistake, publishing demos and advertisements as if they are full games is misleading and in some ways harmful.”
    • “It's impossible for me to recommend this incorrectly published advertising spam to gamers; you deserve better than adverts.”
  • story
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is highly praised for its emotional depth and historical significance, focusing on a young boy's journey during World War II, which resonates with many shared experiences from that dark period. Players appreciate the immersive atmosphere, polished animations, and heart-touching music that enhance the narrative, although some express a desire for more story content. Overall, the combination of a compelling storyline and engaging gameplay mechanics positions it as a potential masterpiece.

    • “Great story, amazing music. After playing the demo, I am really looking forward to the game and seeing the story unfold.”
    • “Emil's journey showed us a heartbreaking story of salvation during the Second World War, through the eyes of a little boy.”
    • “The story here has a real historic root and comes with photos of the man this game's story is based on.”
    • “But I do need more story.”
    • “The story here has a real historic root, and comes with photos of the man this game's story is based on.”
    • “The story is one that many shared in one of humanity's darkest times.”
  • gameplay
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Gameplay reviews are mixed, with some players finding it clunky and frustrating, particularly due to issues with mechanics like moving boxes. However, others appreciate the immersive experience and potential of the gameplay, likening it to successful titles like Limbo and Inside, and enjoying the narrative-driven approach. Overall, while there are criticisms regarding the mechanics, the game's story and atmosphere receive positive feedback.

    • “I was thoroughly impressed by the story and mechanics presented in this game; they exhibit tremendous potential.”
    • “The 30-40 minutes of gameplay truly immersed me in the spirit of the era and the narrative of the story.”
    • “The story is moving and the gameplay is great!”
    • “The gameplay is so clunky, and the part where you have to move a box and jump on it caused my character to get stuck, preventing me from progressing further.”
    • “Unfortunately, I found the mechanics rather poor, which makes it hard for me to consider buying the full game. I've had more than enough media covering WWII to last a lifetime for it to be interesting enough to buy.”
    • “It's a copy of the games Limbo and Inside, but honestly, I like those silent story-type games. However, the 2D side-scrolling gameplay tends to work poorly with this mechanic.”
  • graphics
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the graphics and art style of the game are highly praised for their beauty and ability to capture the mood, though some users noted that character animations could be smoother. While the visuals are impressive for a simple game, performance issues on integrated graphics were reported, affecting gameplay experience.

    • “I was really looking forward to this game, as the graphics and art style look amazing.”
    • “The graphics are amazing for such a simple game.”
    • “On the one hand, the graphics and sound capture the mood perfectly and let you experience what Emil is feeling.”
    • “On integrated graphics, the game runs slowly as the resolution options are not functioning properly.”
    • “The graphics look outdated and lack the detail expected from modern games.”
    • “Textures are low quality and often appear blurry, detracting from the overall experience.”
  • music
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is consistently praised for its quality, contributing to a great atmosphere and enhancing the emotional depth of the story. Reviewers highlight it as a standout feature, alongside impressive cinematics and polished animations, suggesting it plays a significant role in the overall experience.

    • “Great story, amazing music. After playing the demo, I am really looking forward to the game and seeing the story unfold.”
    • “It has all the features needed to become a masterpiece - great atmosphere, many polished animations, heart-touching music, a well-made story with subtle references, and enjoyable puzzles.”
  • emotional
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game delivers a deeply emotional and intimate experience, portraying a child's heartbreaking journey of survival during World War II. With its captivating atmosphere, polished animations, touching music, and a well-crafted narrative, it resonates powerfully with players, making it a potential masterpiece.

    • “It still displays a very emotional and intimate personal experience as a child in the darkest time of humanity.”
    • “Emil's journey showed us a heartbreaking story of salvation during the Second World War, through the eyes of a little boy.”
    • “It has all the features needed to become a masterpiece - great atmosphere, many polished animations, heart-touching music, a well-made story with subtle references, and enjoyable puzzles.”
  • optimization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game suffers from a lack of optimization, leading to performance issues that detract from the overall experience.

    • “However, unfortunately, there is no optimization.”
    • “The game runs poorly on most systems, indicating a lack of proper optimization.”
    • “I experienced frequent frame drops and long loading times, which suggests that optimization was not a priority.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews indicate that the game's stability is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the quirks that resemble Bethesda's signature style, while others criticize it for being buggy and unstable. This duality raises questions about whether these issues enhance the gameplay experience or detract from it.

    • “It's one of those things that make me wonder if this is pure genius or spectacularly buggy programming that adds depth to the game, like a Bethesda game.”
    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
    • “I experienced numerous glitches that disrupted my gameplay experience.”
  • atmosphere
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, characterized by polished animations, emotionally resonant music, and a well-crafted story filled with subtle references, all contributing to a potentially masterpiece experience.

    • “It has all the features needed to become a masterpiece - great atmosphere, many polished animations, heart-touching music, a well-made story with subtle references, and enjoyable puzzles.”
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Frequently Asked Questions

Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue is a action adventure game.

Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue is available on PC and Windows.

Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue was released on March 22, 2024.

Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue was developed by Starkids Studios.

Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its monetization.

Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue is a single player game.

Similar games include Human Apocalypse: Prologue, Crowalt: Traces of the Lost Colony - Prologue, Legacy: Tears of Vanfell - Chapter 1, ColorBlend FX: Desaturation Prologue, The Last Show of Mr. Chardish: Act I and others.