A Space for the Unbound is a beautifully crafted game by developer and pubisher Toge Productions, Mojiken Studio, and World Chorus Games, that tells a slice of life story with a dream-entrenched twist. If you are in the mood for a heartfelt story with lots of character, read on to find out why this story may be the first hit of the year for you!
Set in the 1990s (everyone’s favorite decade besides the 80s) in a small Indonesian town, it can be a difficult game to explain in just a few sentences, but you find yourself in the shoes of a soon to be high school graduate and his girlfriend…or is it his younger friend? Well, that’s part of the mystery! The game begins with yourself and an aspiring writer retelling her story about a princess from the stars. It then morphs into a magical fantasy with a red spell book that allows you to enter the subconscious of a person and help them in their dreams. It is a really cool idea for a story that has been explored in other mediums, but not to my knowledge like this. Fast forward a few scenes and you have some very realistic depictions of domestic violence intermingled with the everyday lackadaisical life of the town’s inhabitants. It is a striking, and effective contrast.
While I will not reveal too much more of the story’s intro, a traumatic event and a dark change of scenery cue the intro credits, wherein your character Atma is transported into high school with his girlfriend, where you will embark on your quest to complete your combined bucket list with her before high school ends, which includes collecting bottlecaps, because we all love the Fallout series for its bottle cap collecting cornucopia of fun!
What I really enjoy about the gameplay is how it reminds me of one of my favorite cult classic games from the Nintendo DS – Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective. While in that game, you were an amnesiac ghost trying to figure out the clues to your past and the future of those around you via puzzles based on possession; here, you are solving a similar mystery except with taking the in-game coined term of “space dives” in the inner psyches of those around you. While the actual controls are simple enough for anyone to pick up and play, they are perfect for what needs to be done and allow you to efficiently explore the world, solve puzzles, and collect to your heart’s content.
Perhaps the biggest highlight of the game is its art style, evoking a premier atmosphere of either comfort or dread. It is a masterclass in pixelated artwork and is one of the most effective games to use it, as each screen is a landscape worthy of staring at for periods of time, and transitions, especially in someone’s dreams, are eye popping and fun to watch. Melded together by an excellent soundtrack and atmosphere, it is a very memorable experience that leaves an impact.
I am not the biggest slice of life story fan around, but I greatly enjoyed the atmosphere, story, and puzzle solving of A Space for the Unbound. If you are looking for something more unique and less derivative, and are in the mood for a heartfelt story, you will be hard pressed to find better elsewhere.
Score: 9.5/10
For more information, visit: https://linktr.ee/mojiken
Related: Reviews by Matt O’Toole
Your local neighborhood nutjob, gamer, and teacher! I'm an avid fan of many genres such as platformers, shooters, horror, etc. I am also an avid tabletop gamer - hugely into the worlds of Warhammer and all of their spinoffs. I'm a big believer in being objective - even if something is not my cup of tea, I want to talk about it on the objective level - is it well made, crafted with love, and with care for the fans? If so, that's a good game in my book for someone and well worth their hard earned dollarydoos!
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