When we think of the early days of the internet, images of sparkly GIFs, custom cursors, and chain emails come to mind. This was the beginning of the social web, when internet safety was a new concept and artificial intelligence was a thing of science fiction. Many creators have since tried to recapture the kitschy aesthetic of the early 2000s, but developer SonderingEmily is taking her memorialisation of the era to a whole new level.
lily’s world XD is a psychological horror game where you investigate the laptop of a young girl from the early 2000s. Lily is your typical teenage girl — dramatic, emotional, and has big dreams — but she’s hiding a secret. Reconnect with her old friends, read through her cringey blog, and solve puzzles that unlock parts of her past.
Except, Lily is the developer herself. All the photos in-game were gathered from old social media profiles and blogs of the developer and her friends, adding a whole new level of meta-horror and authenticity to the experience.
This isn’t the first time developer SonderingEmily has infused her past into her work. Her previous game, A Taste of the Past, follows a Chinese-American high school student who is dealing with the sudden passing of her mother. After losing all of her mother’s recipes, she must recover what was missing while learning about self-love, grief, and healing.
SonderingEmily is a Los Angelos based game developer and content creator who has been featured in Forbes 30 under 30 Games, The Game Awards Future Class, Business Insider, Game Devs of Color Expo, and Polygon.
Wishlist lily’s world XD on Steam, and top up your Steam Wallet on Codashop.
