Emily Wants To Play
Indie horror games have made a rise throughout the years and the quality of the games keep increasing. If you’re looking for a new indie horror game until the release of Allison Road and Outlast 2, you should probably try Emily Wants To Play. It’s about a demon child and her satanic dolls. We all had those as kids. Right? Personally, dolls have always creeped me out as a kid, especially the dummies that ventriloquists use. I promise they are all possessed. I don’t care what you tell me, nothing will change my mind. Have you seen Annabelle?! If I ever found those in my house, I’m grabbing the holy water, salt, gasoline, and a flame. I’m burning it Supernatural style.
This horror game brings a big twist on your favorite childhood games- it's like a demonic game of tag- well, kind of. You, the protagonist, is a humble, average pizza delivery guy that comes to deliver a pizza at Emily’s house. (On a completely irrelevant note, have you realized that many popular indie horror games have to do with pizza?) Who ordered the pizza? You guessed it, the ghost of the Emily. Emily is a very violent character who possibly killed her parents. I can see why, her parents abandoned her and locked her in the basement where she went all kinds of crazy. All she had were three diabolical dolls. Each doll plays a different type of childhood game. If you lose the game, the dolls kill you. Simple.
Right at 12 A.M. in the game, the only active character is Kiki, who looks very much like a child demon, however, it’s proposed that she is inspired from the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who. She has the appearance of a porcelain doll, with white skin and black, hollow eyes and lips. Kiki’s childhood game is peek-a-boo and the only way to beat her at it is to just stare at her until she runs away. The trick is that Emily writes on a board telling the player to not look at Kiki, but if you don’t look at her she gets closer until she attacks. After the clock strikes 1 A.M. Mr.Tatters becomes active. Mr. Tatters is an excessively creepy clown character that is assumed to be inspired from “Clown” from the Poltergeist. His childhood game is Red Light, Green Light, so all you have to do is not move a muscle and you’re good. At 2 A.M Chester, the dummy doll becomes active. Chester has a skull-like face that is inspired by Chucky and Slappy the Dummy. This antagonist follows you everywhere and the only way to escape is to immediately leave the room you are in when he makes a sound. He plays a game very similar to tag because you always have to run away from him and keep your distance. These three dolls all leave at 4 A.M so Emily can come out to “play”. No surprise that her game is hide and seek and at this time Emily leaves the basement. Prior to this hour, if you enter the basement, Emily will quickly attack. When she does, she kind of looks like a shaved cat in a white dress that’s out for blood. At 5 A.M everyone is active for one hour. If you survive until 6 A.M., you have rapidly escape out the door or else you are dead. No exceptions.
This game really makes you reconsider your whole childhood from your dolls to the games you played in the park. My childhood is officially ruined. However, it’s full of great jumpscares and a decent storyline. It is definitely a must play. Be ready for the nightmares. Here is a tip, do not play this game in the dark, at night, when you’re home alone. I’ve made that mistake too many times. Have fun at midnight.
