Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue

57%
Game Brain Score Based on 19 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Emil: A Hero's Journey - Prologue Game Cover
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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 …

  • PC
  • Windows
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

57%
Audience ScoreBased on 19 reviews
story4 positive mentions
grinding1 negative mentions
  • The game features a beautiful art style and graphics that effectively capture the emotional weight of the story.
  • The storyline is based on real events from World War II, providing a heartfelt and intimate experience.
  • There is significant potential for the game to evolve into a masterpiece, with a strong foundation in atmosphere, music, and narrative.
  • The game is very short, with gameplay lasting only 30-40 minutes, leaving players wanting more.
  • Some animations and mechanics are not fluid, leading to awkward gameplay experiences.
  • The demo lacks optimization and has several bugs, which detracts from the overall experience.
  • story13 mentions

    The game's story, centered on a young boy named Emil during World War II, is praised for its emotional depth and historical authenticity, effectively immersing players in a poignant narrative of survival. While the storyline shows great promise and is complemented by strong gameplay mechanics, some players feel it could benefit from further development to enhance the overall experience. Overall, the combination of a moving narrative, atmospheric design, and engaging puzzles positions it as a potentially impactful title.

    • “The game has a great storyline as it is based on real events.”
    • “Emil's journey showed us a heartbreaking story of salvation during the Second World War, through the eyes of a little boy.”
    • “The story is moving and the gameplay is great!”
    • “Sadly, despite having good promise and a great story to tell about World War II and its survivors, this is not a game (demo) I can recommend at all, for several reasons.”
    • “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.”
  • graphics6 mentions

    The game's graphics are widely praised for their beauty and unique art style, effectively capturing the mood and enhancing the player's experience. However, some users noted that character animations lack smoothness, and performance issues arise on integrated graphics due to resolution settings not functioning properly. Overall, the visuals are considered impressive for a simple game, though technical limitations may affect gameplay.

    • “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.”
    • “The artwork is good enough to be a first-person class game.”
    • “On integrated graphics, the game is slow as the resolution choices 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.”
  • gameplay5 mentions

    Gameplay reviews are mixed, with some players finding the mechanics lacking and unoriginal, while others appreciate the immersive experience and narrative depth. The game draws comparisons to titles like Limbo and Inside, appealing to fans of silent storytelling and 2D side-scrolling mechanics. Overall, the gameplay shows potential but may not satisfy everyone.

    • “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!”
    • “It's a copy of the games Limbo and Inside, but honestly, I like those silent story type of games, and the 2D side-scrolling play tends to work well with this mechanic.”
    • “Unfortunately, I found the mechanics rather poor 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.”
    • “It's a copy of the games Limbo and Inside, but honestly, I like those silent story-type games, and the 2D side-scrolling play tends to work well with this mechanic.”
  • emotional3 mentions

    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.”
  • grinding1 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be slow and tedious, particularly noting issues with grappling and movement mechanics. Additionally, the lack of keybind remapping options contributes to the frustration, as the controls feel limited and cumbersome.

    • “The demo wasn't bad despite a few bugs, but the grinding felt slow and tedious, especially with the grappling and movement mechanics. The lack of keybind remapping made it frustrating, as jumping is tied to 'W' and interactions to 'Space', leaving only 'A', 'S', and 'D' for movement.”
  • optimization1 mentions

    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 the optimization is severely lacking.”
  • atmosphere1 mentions

    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 an immersive and engaging 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.”
  • music1 mentions

    The music in the game is praised for its heart-touching quality, contributing significantly to the overall atmosphere and enhancing the storytelling 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.”
  • stability1 mentions

    Reviews indicate that the game's stability is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the quirks and bugs as adding depth, while others view them as signs of poor programming reminiscent of Bethesda titles. Overall, the stability seems to evoke a sense of both admiration and frustration among users.

    • “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 constant lag and glitches that ruined the overall experience.”
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