PAX East 2023: Interview with Dimas Novan, Creator of A Space for the Unbound

By: Patrick Klein

One game that I absolutely fell in love with this year was A Space for the Unbound. It’s an indie title that tells a coming of age story of a teenage boy, Atma, and a girl named Raya. It’s a heartfelt tale that explores the theme of depression, and I feel that everyone should give it a try.

This game was one of several titles on display at the Toge Productions and Chorus Worldwide booths at PAX, and while the rest of the team was previewing Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus and Butterfly, I spoke with the representative about A Space for the Unbound. She mentioned that the creator of the game was at PAX, and the opportunity to speak with him is one I couldn’t pass up.

Fast forward to interview day, Steph and I meet Dimas Novan, the creator of A Space for the Unbound and senior artist at Mojiken Studio, at the Toge Productions booth. After introductions, we sat down and asked him what inspired A Space for the Unbound. Dimas wanted his story to take place in the late 1990’s of Indonesia, the country he grew up in. He believed that once we grow into adults, we tend to forget how we felt as youth–so he wanted to spark those emotions of years past. He also felt that Indonesia isn’t a common setting in the industry, so he wanted to share his culture.

***Left to Right:*** Stephanie, Dimas, and Pat at PAX East 2023

With the setting down, Dimas focused on the character development. Depression was the theme he wanted to explore, so the next step would be to weave a narrative to present to the masses. When creating the story, Dimas knew right away how the game was going to begin and end. He even said his largest challenge during the writing process was the middle portion. That’s the part that needed to be fleshed out while also staying true to the theme. He then incorporated fantasy elements to the story line by creating the “space dive” mechanic. The game relies on the space dive, and it was important that its function supported the story.

Creating A Space for the Unbound was not without challenges. It took Dimas and his team eight years to complete this masterpiece. He and his team were new to video game development, and several prototypes were created. Also, he was working on several projects at the time, so his focus was divided. Finally, as an indie developer, finding the funding for his project was a struggle. Dimas and his team persevered and were finally able to create his dream project.

I asked Dimas if he was proud of the product that he created. He was. This game, he felt, represented the best form of all the hard work and prototypes along the way. He hopes that this game will be able to touch the lives of all those who play it, and that the consumers themselves are greatly satisfied with what he and his team have made.

Thank you, Dimas and the teams at Toge Productions and Chorus Worldwide.

You can check out A Space for the Unbound on Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 & 5, and Microsoft XBox One & Series.

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