STORY
New Beginnings isn't a spectacular story. Your ‘childhood friend’ comes back to town and wants to see you first thing she gets in the city. You catch up as you realize you both have left more on the table than initially thought.
The game doesn’t run long, about two or three in-game days. It’s just long enough to introduce Emi and Jamie, watch them grow back into their bond and capitalize on it a bit. That process feels a bit rushed and the game would benefit from more in-depth moments of synergy, ideally at a week’s length. The time frame is simply too short to make a lasting impact, even though the story is written well.
Both characters are realistically written and feel grounded, even though younger Emi has the tendency to be a bit silly. It will all make sense as you learn about what she learned during her time away. In the end, it’s a story about two people rediscovering each other. It’s just far too good to be this short.’s just far too promising to be this short. Knowing the developer Cellstudios has multiple ‘Emi’ games made, this does get me curious for where the pair will take their friendship. Also, there’s a strong indication Emi might actually be Jamie’s sister - which makes this a family-oriented love story.
PRESENTATION
Let’s get this clear - New Beginnings is beautiful. The characters look realistic and so do all the locations the story takes place in. Jamie’s house feels like a home and both camera angles and lighting are well used to portray emotion. The writing is mostly light and flirty, but contains a realism that grounds the characters well.
Animations are present, but they might not be as advanced as other games in the genre. The end contains a variable option for an intimate scene and your choices decide what happens. Great care has been placed on Emi’s looks - making sure her high school self looks different from the college graduate Emi. It’s this attention to detail that makes the game stand out, even though it doesn’t fully utilize its potential.
GAMEPLAY
Emi - New Beginnings is a Kinetic VN, but you have choice options for outfits and answers to Emi. Those answers will influence a few things, so there is at least one replay necessary to view all the content.
OVERALL
Emi - New Beginnings surprised me with how much it does with what little it has. A few characters, few locations and a simple enough story. If this is a preview of what Cellstudios’ writing has to offer, we can look forward to fun products from his pen. Emi will return in a few different games however, so we'll see how this story continues.
Rating: 7/10
Developer: Cellstudios
