Title: A Space for the Unbound
Developer: Mojiken Studios
Publisher: Toge Productions, Chorus Worldwide
Initial Release Date: January 19, 2023
Available On: PC, PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox Series X & S, Nintendo Switch
Reviewed On: Nintendo Switch
A Space for the Unbound is an indie video game from Mojiken Studio that brings a dynamic story taking place in 1990s Indonesia, exploring deep themes with a touch of fantasy. We had the pleasure of interviewing the game’s director, Dimas Novan, which you can check out here. For those that are considering playing this game, please continue with this review. Major spoilers will be avoided.
Trigger Warning: A Space for the Unbound contains themes of mental illness, including depression.
SYNOPSIS
A Space for the Unbound follows a high school young man named Atma, who is keen on skipping school and checking off a bucket list with his girlfriend, Raya. During their adventures, Atma is plagued with dreams where he helps a young girl named Nirmala finish her story, The Star Princess. Most times, the dream ends with Atma drowning, then he snakes awake at his desk.
The game takes place in a quaint Indonesian town with a 90s vibe. Atma deals with frustrated teachers, bullies, stray cats, and other members of the community. When Atma and Raya go to the movies one day, Raya reveals her supernatural powers of altering reality to him. However, this drains her energy, and chaos erupts in the town. Firstly, the cinema staff become hostile and behave like cats.
Meanwhile, Atma performs space dives with a mysterious red book into various NPCs. A space dive essentially taps into a person’s mind. Atma can solve puzzles to resolve a personal obstacle that individual is facing such as anger and self-doubt. However, the world continues to fracture from reality and Raya grows unstable.
Atma must search for Raya and rescue her from herself before a world-ending catastrophe. And this journey is not for the faint of heart.
ANALYSIS
Visuals and Sound
A Space for the Unbound delivers vivid color and breathtaking visuals with impressive use of pixel design. Instead of focusing on realistic style and attention of minute details, an emphasis is placed on shading and color choice. The visuals are fluid, including during the brief cut scenes that are sprinkled throughout. Putting it straight–it is simple, yet extremely effective.
The sound design also aligns with the art style. It has this sense of charm as you walk the streets of suburban Indonesia, and it pulls at my nostalgia heartstrings for simpler times. The main theme is remixed during certain scenarios to match the mood, and it kept me engaged the entire time. This is a soundtrack I would listen to even when not playing the game.
Gameplay
The gameplay primarily focuses on walking around town, interacting with people, and space diving to solve puzzles. The mechanics are simplistic in nature to ensure focus on story progression. Puzzles tend to be on the easier side until the near end of the game, with collectables or hints near the puzzle itself. One example is to find ingredients to make Raya’s favorite cake, and of course, the school bully made sure they weren’t available at the local market. Then, once you collect the ingredients, you need to locate and convince the local pastry chef to bake it instead of quitting the bakery.
Space dives were incredibly fun. These were meant to explore the abstract nature of people’s psyche. We are able to visualize someone’s depression or crippling hang-up that prevents them from moving forward in reality. The puzzles within are thematic to the issue, making A Space for the Unbound a cohesive experience.
To keep gameplay fresh, there are QTE-like events; however, they are more like combos that you must input in a fighting game. You utilize them to defeat bullies or complete a magical ritual. There is also a segment in A Space for the Unbound where you need to collect evidence in a court-like setting. The little bits of variety spice up this seemingly slice-of-life game.
FINAL SCORE
A Space for the Unbound is a treasure for any player to discover. It earned its five stars based on its theming, graphics, music, and storytelling. It is a beautiful indie title where simple gameplay kept me focused on the narrative and, even then, there are lots of little things you can do along the way.
Mojiken studios brilliantly addresses serious issues in mental illness in a beautiful, touching way. The twist in the end is worth it. Overall, I recommend a game with this much charm to those that enjoy a good story with a slow burn.
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Featured Image Source: Mojiken Studio
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